Tales of Knighthood
by Lupus Silvae
Summary: In a twist of fate, Sonic is forced to take up knighthood as he fights a deadly tyrant: the legendary King Arthur. Wanted throughout Britain, Sonic must find a way to wield the Sacred Sword, Caliburn, before its too late. Onward, my young knave!
1. Into the Story of King Arthur

Grey skies haunted the landscape, hindering the amount of light the sun provided and adding an eerie feel to the already depressing scenery. Poverty was everywhere, and the approaching weather did nothing to mask it. What once had been a prosperous kingdom filled with rich, vibrant colors and unparalleled beauty was now a desolate wasteland. The dying fields were useful only to the desperate survivors who looked for good in anything. They cared not that their world was falling apart, nor that their king was now corrupted and evil. Acceptance and obedience were the keys to survival, and they had learned to yield them well.

Ravens that pecked hopelessly at skeletons dashed away in fear as a young, female wizard raced down the path. Discarded feathers fell to the ground, only to be picked up again by the momentum of the terrified girl's running. She wore a long, violet dress with gold trim, covered by a lavender cloak. Both garments were immaculately decorated with mysterious symbols and patterns. The cloak served to cover her braided, maroon red hair and tapered ears; the features that revealed she was a wizard. Gripped tightly in her hands was a long staff, almost as tall as she, with a large turquoise orb at the top. The wooden staff was carved with intense detail and plated with gold in some places. This staff, coupled with her dress and cloak, hindered her speed greatly.

Hard on her heels was the corrupted King Arthur. His steed, a sturdy black horse covered in gold and silver armor, was trotting miraculously in the air. The horse's ability to fly came from the Demons of the Underworld themselves, as did the king's smoky appearance. His golden, pupil-less eyes glowed evilly as he forced his horse to halt and observed the running wizard, known as Merlina. The black armor he wore was nothing less than extravagant, if not overly so. Two large, golden shoulder guards rose at least a foot from their base, protecting his head from any unwarranted sword swings. The crown was also of gold, and had four spikes that resembled something akin to a devil's horns. Six fuchsia ribbons, which appeared as if they once were sewn together in a cape, fluttered behind him in the wind. If the king had had a visible mouth, it would have been smirking with victory.

He shouted at his black steed to once again move forward, and it charged ahead obediently. As the horse ran on, the Black Knight slowly drew out his sword. Deathcalibur, named after the long-missing sword of a similar name, was far thicker than most swords, and instead of a smooth edge, had at least fifteen different ebony blades layered on top of each other. The gold pommel-stone glowed ominously, and the entire sword seemed to emanate evil. King Arthur forced the horse into a turn and extended Deathcalibur aimlessly into the sky. Yet it was not as aimless as the fleeing wizard would have wished: the sword easily cut a rift between their reality and the Underworld, releasing black smoke as the sky tore apart like cloth.

Seconds after the cut was made, a few purple eyes appeared. They were not in pairs, but rather single, as if belonging to a Cyclops. More eyes followed, and suddenly the entire Underworld could be seen swarming with them. It did not take long for the first few to eagerly escape into the new world, where the sunlight allowed them to be seen for what they were. If it was a horror movie, the Demons would have made awful excuses for monsters. Each one was grey with detailed symbols on its armor, the symbols always one of four basic colors, and they all resembled fish with wings: flying fish. Yet it was not a horror flick, but instead reality: a reality where demons, even ones resembling flying fish, caused nothing but death for the inhabitants of the world.

Even without the continuation of Deathcalibur's blade along the sky, the rift between the two worlds continued to widen, allowing darker Demons, ones far more threatening than flying fish, to drop down in front of Merlina. The sudden arrival of so many evil beings forced the wizard to come to a halt and watch helplessly as a miniature army conjured up in front of her. Desperately, she glanced over her shoulder, only to see King Arthur trotting slowly towards her on his black steed.

At first, her expression was one of anxiety and fear. The king's eyes narrowed. It was all too easy. The girl's sudden change of emotion made it evident that he was right: she scowled, then speared the staff's golden-tipped end into the ground. From around it emerged a blue circle of light, which then split into eight different circles. They expanded from and rotated around the girl, forming a protective dome of sky blue, hazy light. During this magical oddity, the girl was chanting quietly: "Ifaras zaras yezaras. Ifaras zaris yazarik. O brave knight, swift as the wind! Heed my call!" Her voice lost its shaky tremor and gained both volume and confidence as she switched to the Mobian language and cried for help. Suddenly, the light took on a form similar to a javelin, and shot up into the now completely black sky, piercing the clouds and forming a hole similar to that made by Deathcalibur. Except this one did not summon demonic flying fish.

* * *

Sonic raced through Green Hill Zone, twisting and turning however he pleased and with whatever flips he deemed necessary. Behind him, Tails dashed along happily, smiling broadly as he used his twin namesakes to keep up with his brother. It had been a painfully long time since they had simply raced through, and both were enjoying themselves immensely. On occasion, Sonic would fail to pay attention to the oncoming obstacles, Tails would cry out to warn him just in time, and the hedgehog would come to a screeching halt before turning down a new path.

The brothers had been doing this ever since that morning, and now that the sun was just beginning to reach its pinnacle, they were planning to stop for an early lunch. The second Tails suggested they eat at the chili dog stand in Station Square, it suddenly became a lot harder to keep up with Sonic. Still, the fox managed it, and soon the two were ordering their respective meals. They had not paused for more than a few minutes when a large gorge began to form right behind them, black and grey smoke filtering out and hissing along the ground. The noise of the splitting ground was deafening.

"What the--?!" exclaimed Sonic. Having just grabbed his treasured food, he whirled around to see what caused such a commotion. Tails was equally as shocked, but not quite as much from the gorge as Sonic's thoughtless choice of racing towards it.

"Wait for me!" cried Tails, darting off to follow. Briefly, they heard angry yells of "You didn't pay!" behind them, but it was cut off when the owner of the voice saw what had made the two run. Sonic was at the edge of the widening hole, backing up with it and keeping an eye on whatever was down there. Disappointingly, all he could make out was some fuzzy, grey clouds with no distinct shape. Tails gazed at it, then glanced back up at Sonic. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I kn-_woaaaah!"_ The pit suddenly expanded faster than Sonic had anticipated, sending him flying down into the unknown abyss.

"_Sonic!" _yelped Tails, leaping down after his brother. The second the kitsune's tails were safely through the hole, it shut, leaving the ground above perfectly unharmed. The man working the chili dog stand decided to take a spur-of-the-moment vacation that day.

* * *

The plummet from Mobius to whatever reality was below them could be described many ways; "pleasant" was not one of them. Sonic found himself first falling with his back towards the ground, but managed to flip himself over. Luckily for him, Tails' practiced hands easily caught him before he hit ground zero. However, the pain that shot through his shoulder made Sonic wonder if it would not have been better if he had allowed gravity to take its course. He glanced up at Tails and managed a smile, and Tails grinned back, pleased that he had rescued his brother.

The kitsune descended carefully, and the second the hedgehog's feet touched the ground, he was off again. Tails was confused at first, until he saw the still-falling chili dogs. Sonic easily caught the first, but the second was a little farther away. Desperately flying into a slide Babe Ruth would have been proud of, the cobalt hedgehog released a pent-up sigh of relief when he saw both chili dogs were safe in his hands once again.

As he painfully returned to his feet and brushed the dirt out of his cream belly fur, Sonic had a chance to look at his surroundings. "H-hey… Where are we?" he asked no one in particular. He glanced around at the desolate field, wondering if someone would appear to explain everything. He turned his head when Tails tapped his shoulder, pointing worriedly behind him. A girl with long, flowing robes approached, a staff clutched tightly in her hands. She seemed fatigued, if not highly stressed, but she spoke anyway.

"Beings from a distant world!" The girl knelt, and at first, Sonic was worried he would have to deal with some worshipping fan girl while he was here, but she merely did so to be at eye-level with the two. She threw back the hood of her cloak, revealing her hair and unnaturally pointed ears. "Forgive my abrupt summons." Anything the girl said was lost on Sonic and Tails, for they were not focused on the elfish girl. Instead, they were gawking at the unique creatures _behind _her.

Sonic gave Tails a quizzical look. "Are… are those… _flying fish?" _he whispered.

Tails just stared, unsure of what to think. Then the kit made the mistake of turning around and looking _ahead _of them. "S-Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

The fox simply pointed, much to Sonic's surprise, at an overly-armored man on a black horse. Sonic rolled his eyes. _How on earth do I get myself into these situations? I don't even think I _did_ anything this time._ With complete nonchalance, Sonic quickly ate the first chili dog, smirking at the oddity before him with irking disrespect. The armored knight was clearly unimpressed.

Sonic glanced back over at the girl. "Oh, I get it. No problem! I'm used to stuff like this!" He winked, then began twirling the remaining chili dog before throwing it high into the air. He dashed around to the miniature army of smoking knights, and before the elf-like girl could do anything to protest, they were gone in a gust of wind that forced even Tails, who was used to these situations, to cower. She gawked at the empty path behind her, then back ahead of her, where Sonic was now expertly catching the chili dog he had thrown into the sky not three seconds earlier.

He glared darkly at the apparition before him, twirling the chili dog in the most mocking, menacing way possible. If it is even possible ot twirl a chili dog menacingly, anyway. He snarled softly and lowered himself into a fighting crouch, preparing to charge the knight and deal with the blows as they came. The second he took off, though, he yelped as he felt his tail nearly jerked out of its socket. A girl's voice desperately cried out: "No, you mustn't!" He was pulled sharply backwards, and landed rather unceremoniously on top of Tails and beside the girl who summoned him. The chili dog was lost to the trampling hooves of the steed.

The girl stood and shoved her staff forwards, and a whirlwind surrounded the trio, forcing the recovering Sonic to fall back to his knees. He released a desperate cry of indignation when he realized he had lost the second half of his lunch, but Tails jerked him back into the swirling wind, leaving the Black Knight behind to glare at the now-empty path in front of him. If looks could kill, Sonic would have been dead the second he landed in between the King and his prey.

Hissing, King Arthur sheathed his sword and forced the black steed onward. He raced up to a cliff, where his three remaining Knights of the Round Table had stolidly observed the incident. He glared down at them, obviously angered at the hedgehog and kitsune's escape. Surprised at their king's sudden arrival, all three knelt as quickly as possible, bowing their heads in reverence. Ignoring the sucking-up of the knights, King Arthur spoke: "I shall give chase. Spread out and go after them." The knights looked up, recovering from the initial surprise. "Slay them on sight." As if in a trance, all three nodded solemnly, standing as their king took off into the distance.

Dame Percival stood first, turning to her comrades. Her femininity was obvious by her lavender fur and lithe, feline physique, but the Sacred Sword, a rapier, that was tucked safely at her waist revealed she was no weak Lady. "Let us go."

The red echidna glanced at his friend, nervous. "Must we? She is the Royal Wizard, after all."

All he received for his compassion was a glare from the ebony and crimson hedgehog, known as Lancelot. "The King's orders are absolute, Gawain."

"Yes, but--"

Dame Percival interrupted the two males' argument. "Without loyalty to the King, we are nothing!" she snapped. Gawain still appeared uneasy, but Lancelot nodded grimly, turning and beginning his journey to find the hedgehog and kitsune. Percival and Gawain remained. "Still, the King… He has changed. And this kingdom…" She looked down at her feet. With a sigh, she shook her head and followed in Lancelot's footsteps. Gawain still looked doubtful, but pursued his comrades nonetheless.

Above them, a flock of ravens began their flight back down to the skeletal remains of the cattle, before changing their minds and flying on to Camelot. Unbeknownst to them, the path below was being used. In the centre of the path walked the wizard girl from before. To her right was a cobalt hedgehog and a golden-furred fox kit with two tails. Sonic was talking animatedly, somewhat angry. "Why'd you stop me? I could've taken him down, no problem! And I guarantee you my tail wouldn't be broken right now."

"Yeah!" chirped Tails indignantly.

Merlina sighed. "You do not understand. He cannot be wounded."

Sonic came to an abrupt halt, only to have Tails run into him. "How can that be?!" he asked after recovering.

Merlina conjured up an image in front of them of a leather scabbard, beautifully designed with gold and silver trim. Rubies and golden stones were embedded in its case. "He bears the scabbard of Excalibur."

"Hey, wait a second," mused Sonic. "I think I've heard that name before. Umm… lemme see…"

Tails' eyes widened at his brother. "Sonic! Excalibur is King Arthur's sword!" he exclaimed. "I told you that story just yesterday!"

Sonic laughed. "Oh, yeah, right! So, wait, that means…"

Merlina changed the image of the scabbard to one of a map. "This is the land ruled by King Arthur.

"Woah!" murmured Tails, gazing at the intricate cartography. Soon, the fox was lost in the details, gently fingering the image, only to have his hand pass through it.

"But was that really the King himself?" inquired Sonic, asking for the distracted kit. "I mean, he seemed way different in the stories."

"How would you know?" muttered Tails. "You didn't even know Excalibur's name."

Merlina seemed to sadden and let the map dissipate, much to Tails' disappointment. She covered her hair with her hood again, then turned to Sonic. "Let us go. We can talk along the way. Let me introduce myself. I am Merlina the Wizard."

"I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. And this is my best friend and li'l brother--"

Tails returned to his Sonic's side as they walked forward, swirling his namesakes and smiling brightly. "My name is Miles Prower, but you can just call me Tails," he piped.

Merlina smiled. "Nice to meet you, Sonic. And you as well, Tails. First, I would like you to get accustomed to our world."

Sonic smirked. "Sounds good. The rules seem a little different this time around."

"Yes. Now, in order for you to have any chance at defeating King Arthur, you will need a Sacred Sword."

"Huh?"

"There is only one left. The others are owned by the King's Knights of the Round Table." Sonic sniggered, only to be slapped by Tails. "The remaining sword's name is Caliburn, and it is trapped in the rock on the other side of the Misty Lake. I believe it would serve you well to try and retrieve it."

Sonic grinned. "Whatever you say."

"Um, Merlina, Sonic's never used a sword before. Don't you think we should practice first?" suggested Tails.

"My thoughts exactly," confirmed Merlina. "Which is why I have made a rough copy of Caliburn for you to practice with, at least until we have the real Sacred Sword. Be careful, though, it is not as durable as it looks. I am no master forger."

The wizard handed an old, rusty blade to Sonic, who looked at it quizzically before shrugging. "Sure. Let's go, then."

In a gust of wind, the cobalt hero was bolting down the path, Tails close behind. Merlina sighed, knowing there was no way she could keep up with the two speeding brothers. Instead, she shot her voice ahead of her with magic to instruct the duo. Sonic ran across a bridge and began his destruction of the clay pots on either side. The clouds had finally dissipated, leaving the setting sun's pink light to cast shadows about the land. Terrified frogs cried out in shock as their homes were blown apart by the wind. Sonic laughed as they darted out of his path, some barely fast enough to avoid being crushed by his feet.

Suddenly, a small pond came into view, with a path of islands connected by stone bridges traversing it. Sonic dashed ahead, eager to mock the water by avoiding its liquid promise of death. Ruins stood in the water on both sides, polished white marble of obvious expense. Tails landed occasionally on a pillar to keep up with Sonic and rest his namesakes, but could not help but wonder why such expensive stone was left to sit in a pond. Merlina seemed to read his mind.

"This place used to house the archives, but Misty Lake flooded soon after the Myst Dragon moved into its depths. Now, no matter what we do, we cannot drain the water. It is very deep, and many treasures that were archived are lost at the bottom. Perhaps we can search for them, once King Arthur is defeated."

Sonic laughed nervously, glancing over his shoulder. "Uh, let's not and say we did." The islands the bridges were connecting became more sparse, and a long bridge came that connected back to the mainland. More clay pots lined either side, pots which Sonic found extremely fun to destroy with his spines and quills. He grinned impishly at the sound of shattering pottery, easily avoiding the pieces as they flew everywhere.

When he reached the opposite side of the pond, Merlina spoke to him: "I want you to learn swordsmanship starting from the basics."

Sonic spoke as he ran, leaving the shore of the pond and heading through the forest, towards some ruins that were not flooded. "Swords, eh? Well, if that's how you guys roll around here, why not? Lay it on me, sister!" he laughed, fully aware that he had been avoiding the use of his Caliburn-replica. Tails rolled his eyes in helplessness.

"Sorry, Merlina."

"No need to apologize, Tails," replied the wizard. Sonic leapt over a wall, and saw a long stretch of land come up. Eager to shatter the sound barrier, he increased his speed, only to have a large wooden target appear out of nowhere. There was no time to run left or right, and jumping over it was out of the question when he was so close. "Swing your sword, Sonic!" shouted Merlina.

Just in time and mostly out of reflex, Sonic swung his right arm downwards, slicing the target neatly into two pieces. He smirked as he gazed behind him, watching the magical barrier's pieces dissipate. "Sonic, watch--" started Tails. The kit's warning was a bit too late, and Sonic ran smack into the next target. "-out."

Merlina's voice echoed through Sonic's ringing ears: "You have to always look forward, Sonic. I'm sure Tails will watch your back for you. _You _have to focus on what's ahead."

Sonic nodded, dizzily rising to his feet. Adopting a ready stance, he destroyed the target he had run into. With progress, Merlina made the targets begin to appear on opposite sides of the straightaway, forcing Sonic to dash to one side and then the other. Even for Sonic, the sudden changes in direction were becoming difficult, at least if he had to reach the other side in time to swing the sword and destroy the target. As they came back to more flooded pillars and bridges, the targets were placed higher. "I can't reach that high, Merlina!" snapped Sonic, hoping the wizard would adjust the height before he reached it. "I'm only three flippin' feet tall!"

"You'll have to use a homing attack!" cried Tails. "Hold the sword at your waist and spin normally!"

Sonic had never been so glad to have Tails snap ideas at him. Leaping high into the air, Sonic held the sword as instructed and spun his way through the airborne target. Two more followed, which he destroyed similarly. One, he varied his stance to swing while airborne instead of performing a homing attack. Tails gazed on in admiration, awed by Sonic's ease when adjusting his fighting to allow the use of a sword. They reached solid ground again, and the targets once more were spread out on either side of the field. Whether they were above or on the ground varied, but Sonic easily destroyed each one.

A cave appeared in the distance, and Sonic looked expectantly at Tails, who shrugged. "Sorry, Sonic, but the book didn't say anything about a cave!"

"Just go through it, Sonic," assured Merlina. "It leads to the Misty Lake. We have to reach Caliburn before nightfall. I'm sure King Arthur will be determined to ensure you do not get it."

Sonic grinned. "Well, we'll just have to disappoint him then, won't we?"

"Yeah!" chirped Tails.

"Then let's go get ourselves a Sacred Sword!" cried Sonic, and with one final burst of speed, the cobalt hedgehog dashed through the cave… and straight into the watery depths of Misty Lake.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, there you have it. The first chapter of my first adventure story! I've never written a true adventure tale, so this will be interesting. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Yes, everything is based off of the game "Sonic and the Black Knight" for the Wii. It will be heavily referenced, do not despair. I just missed Tails' presence in the game, so I put him in my story. That should be the only major change. Next chapter coming as soon as I get off my lazy butt and write it.

~Wolf~


	2. The Island of the Sacred Sword

"Say it, Sonic."

"I will not bolt head-first into dark caves."

"And why is that?"

"Because I can't see and I might fall into inconveniently placed lakes."

"That'll do." Far wetter versions of the two brothers sat at the edge of Misty Lake, watching as the setting sun cast the body of water in various shades of pink and orange. Sonic's thin fur shed the water relatively quickly, but Tails' thick pelt was not so easily dried, and was still dripping wet thirty minutes later. Sonic had received a severe tongue-lashing from the kit, who was quite unhappy at having to dive in after the hedgehog, especially since the lake mist refused to allow the fox's fur to lose the water.

Sonic laid his ears back, feeling slightly ashamed at his inability to avoid the lake. A _lake_. He avoided eye contact with Tails, since the fox had a very pitiful look about him. Instead, he gazed at the sword, supposedly a replica of the famed Caliburn. The hilt was made of ivory, and the tip was plated in gold. There was a gold and bronze circle where the blade attached to the hilt, and two gold "wings" emerged from it. A fake ruby was cut and placed below it, while a bronze stabilizer, carved with intricate designs, extended into the blade itself. At the tip of the blade was an embossed symbol, somewhat similar to the infinity sign on Mobius, with two dots on either side. Sonic fingered it carefully, wondering what it meant, if anything.

Merlina finally caught up with the duo. Her expression was serious as she walked up to them, convincing both hedgehog and fox that silence was the best option. "I thought the Legendary Blue Hedgehog would be a bit more cautious," she stated, the disappointment in her voice cutting Sonic to the core.

Sonic winced, forcing a guilty smile. "Sorry. I didn't realize the lake jut into the cave like that."

"I can tell. I thought you'd be more observant. However, that is not our problem right now; retrieving Caliburn is." Tails nodded in agreement, and Merlina glanced at the kit for the first time. "Oh, Tails," she laughed. "Here." The wizard removed her cloak and placed it around the kitsune's shoulders, which put an end to the shivering he was beginning to experience.

"Th-thanks," he murmured, his sapphire eyes reflecting his gratitude.

"Of course. Since Sonic obviously needs you to navigate successfully--" Sonic laid his ears back again. He was not going to live this down anytime soon. "--we'll wait here until you're dry."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah… you do that. I'll be back in a minute." Grabbing his Caliburn replica, Sonic bolted into the woods near the shore, hoping to regain his normally highly acute senses. _What's happened to me? I'm never that unobservant. My reflexes are much faster than that, too! _Somewhat worried that he had lost his edge when he came to King Arthur's world, he pushed the replica point-first into the ground before running full speed towards a tightly-packed knot of trees.

With speed that the wind would be proud of, he skillfully avoided contact with all the limbs and twigs, breaking the sound barrier while he was at it. He skidded to an abrupt halt and turned around, only to repeat the exact same obstacle course over again. The trees were completely unharmed, and nothing was out of place. He returned to his sword and removed it from the ground, gazing at it before taking off towards the knot again. The first thing he noticed was that picking up speed was far harder, and maneuvering with the sword in his hand was extremely difficult. When he finally reached the opposite side of the knot, he was covered in scratches and bruises, and the trees were in shambles. The replica had leaves stuck to its dull blade and had gained numerous chips.

With a yell of frustration, Sonic threw the replica into a tree. The dull blade made it impossible for the sword to penetrate the wood, and it instead fell to the ground. It was the last straw, and Sonic broke into a shouting fit: "_I can't do this! _Swords are impossible! For the love of Chaos, why do I have to use a frickin' sword?! I work better without it! _I won't do it!_" Sonic was completely oblivious to his surroundings, at least until he felt a familiar hand touch his shoulder.

"Sonic?"

His breath caught, and glanced behind him into Tails' concerned, bright blue orbs. "Yeah, li'l bro?"

"I… I'm sorry if I hurt you. You know, when I made you say not to bolt into caves and stuff. I really didn't know you were that frustrated. I thought you were doing great with the sword."

Sonic rolled his eyes, looking away again. "It's fine, Tails. I'm just not ready to use a sword, is all. I'd rather use my spines."

"Merlina said you'll learn more with Caliburn," stated Tails.

"And how is that?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but Merlina seems trustworthy enough. If she thinks you should use a sword, then you probably should. She would know, living with King Arthur for so long."

Sonic smiled slightly. "I guess you're right. We'll just have to get rid of this tyrant of a king and move on, right?"

"He was not always this way, Sonic." The hedgehog and kitsune turned to face Merlina, who had followed the two. They gave her questioning glances, which she brushed off. "I'll talk along the way. Grab your sword. You ran quite a ways from Misty Lake, so now we have to make up a lot of lost time to reach Caliburn before dark."

Sonic shrugged and shouldered the replica, then followed Merlina and Tails down the forest path back to the lake. "Well? What about the King?"

"He was once a wise and just ruler. He was blessed with noble knights--"

"The ones who are probably trying to kill us now?" interrupted Sonic.

Merlina glared at him, immediately receiving silence. "Yes. And he was praised by all. However…"

The wizard's lack of continuation urged Sonic to finish her sentence. "…he got a little side-tracked?" he blurted, the sarcastic undertones blatantly obvious.

"Yes, you could put it that way. Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, gave him Excalibur. He was bewitched by the power of immortality its scabbard bestowed. He became immortal, summoning legions from the Underworld. He is plunging his kingdom into a world of horror and chaos!"

Tails seemed to grow fearful. "You mean like a big haunted house?"

Sonic brightened. "This'll be cool! It'll be like Halloween all year long!" he laughed, suddenly very eager.

His statement did not impress Merlina. "Maybe so, but there would be no one left to enjoy it. If you can enjoy demons stabbing you with swords, anyway." Sonic looked down at his feet, feeling ashamed of himself for the second time that day. Merlina sighed. "It doesn't matter. We must act now!"

Tails interrupted the two's conversation: "You mean overthrow King Arthur?!" he exclaimed.

Sonic quickly agreed. "Yeah, what about that whole 'immortal' thing that stopped me from fighting him in the first place?"

"You need the power of a Sacred Sword. You _need_ Caliburn! He lies in a stone on the other side of Misty Lake. With Caliburn--"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go get it. I'm sick of this old rusty thing anyway. Be back in a flash!" Sonic prepared to take off back to Misty Lake, but he was stopped by Merlina grabbing his hand.

"Wait! Sonic!" She looked at Tails, smiled, then nodded. The fox kit immediately lit up and pulled out a silver hand gauntlet. The wrist guard was made of inscribed gold, and an expensive ruby glowed brightly from its firm plantation on the guard, adding to the royal look of the armor. He handed it to Sonic, who placed in on his right hand. He whistled slightly at the extravagance, then grinned. "Good luck," whispered Merlina. "The fate of our kingdom rests in your hands. Do not fail us."

"You can count on me. I mean, stuff like this happens to me all the time!" Sonic winked at her, before taking off with Tails following close behind. Bluebells were shredded as the hedgehog bolted away, leaving blatant evidence to confirm they had been there. Within seconds, he had reached the bridge that crossed over an inlet and back to Misty Lake's centre. Sonic sighed as more targets appeared, and forced himself to pull out the replica Caliburn and slice them apart.

He followed the land bridge through the water, slicing targets left and right. After a few routine practices, a human-looking one appeared. Assuming he was supposed to hit all targets, Sonic sliced his sword down, destroying it. Merlina's voice echoed soon afterwards. "No, Sonic! _Avoid _killing the villagers!"

"That was a villager?! Looked more like a zombie to me." Tails snickered at his brother's shock, but the hedgehog recovered easily. The land bridge ended at a brick ivory wall, and Sonic nearly came to a halt, when he noticed a metal rod extended around the castle. With a whoop of ecstatic joy, he leapt onto the rail. "Grind rails!" It was not until he was too far out to return to land that he realized the lake, whose bottom was too deep to see, was directly under him.

Grinding smoothly along the rail, Sonic assumed he was safe, until a target appeared in his way. His back was against the ruins and in front was more of the lake, so he had no choice but to jump over it. Sonic glanced up to see a roof was annoyingly placed just low enough to prevent that. "Tails? Ideas?" he asked, hiding his concern.

"Swing your sword, Sonic!"

The target was coming closer, and Sonic glanced down at the water below him. If he swung and lost his balance, the plummet downwards would result in another dip he would rather avoid. Even worse, Tails could not see him very well from his position outside the overhang, and might not be able to rescue him if he fell. Sonic glanced back up, almost directly in front of the target. He squeezed his eyes closed and swung.

Like he expected, his balance was thrown off. However, as he wobbled precariously on the rail, he managed to compensate the movement and regain an upright position. Sonic breathed again, glad to have found a way to grind and use a sword simultaneously. Much to his relief, there was not another target. The grind rail came to an end at a wall, but a gust of wind blew him up to the next level before he had time to worry about a collision.

Now grinding high above the lake, and with many ruins and nets of ivy between him and the water, Sonic felt a lot more confident in his sword swings. It showed. As the targets came, he easily cut them in two and remained perfectly balanced. Merlina's awed voice echoed in his ear: "Are all creatures from your world as coordinated as you?"

Sonic snickered as Tails answered for him: "You've seen me, haven't you? That should make it pretty obvious."

Merlina laughed as well, and Sonic could not help but give his trademark cocky grin. A blue light in the distance marked the end of the grind rail and a high-speed gush of wind. Sonic crouched, looking to see where the wind would take him. It was angled towards the castle opposite, but the angle was too sharp to catapult him to the top. There were no windows, no jutting rocks that would allow for a foothold, just the column of stone. Running out of rail, he called out to Tails: "Hey! See anything for me to jump onto up there?"

"Yeah! The top of the castle's overhang should work as a grind rail, Sonic!" replied the kitsune, flying high above the ruins and serving perfectly well as a lookout.

Sonic nodded, then sped towards the wind. He braced himself, and once his feet made impact with the castle tower, he launched off of it and onto the nearest column, and from there to the overhang Tails had suggested he land on. It was all done in a flash, barely allowing Merlina to keep track of the hedgehog's location. Still, she managed to make more targets appear in front of him. Sonic noticed they were sparser now, and chuckled to himself, pleased that he could outrun Merlina's magic.

The overhang ended relatively quickly, but a firm strand of ivy, far thicker than any reasonable climbing plant, extended the makeshift grind rail. Following it diligently, Sonic tensed as it twisted and turned directly over Misty Lake, until he landed safely on the opposite side. "Whoo! What a rush!" he exclaimed, panting and glancing back at the successfully traversed deathtrap. Sonic looked around to see he was in a tunnel, and could not help but be surprised at the continuous ruins throughout Misty Lake.

"Are these still the flooded archives?" he inquired.

"No. Most of this is the top portion of Nimue's realm," replied Merlina.

Tails' eyes widened. "Nimue? The Lady of the Lake, who gave Excalibur to King Arthur?"

"The same."

Sonic shrugged. "Hope she doesn't mind trespassers." He continued his run, leaving the tunnel and emerging again into the fading daylight. The second he stepped foot on the old wooden bridge, he regretted doing so. Three wild boars, larger than most and most definitely _not _normal, began charging him.

"Quick, Sonic! Do something!" cried Tails.

"Yes, defend yourself!" added Merlina.

"With what?!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Your sword, silly!" snapped Merlina. Sonic glanced down at his replica of Caliburn. He knew he had it, but for whatever reason, using the rusty blade against three wild boars did not seem like a smart idea. Yet time was running out, and he had no choice. In one desperate attempt, Sonic placed his hand on the flat of the blade and set it across his chest, successfully forcing the boars out of the way. The boars came in two more sets of three before Sonic could finally cross the bridge.

Sonic began to run, noticing the crimson seeping from between his thumb and index fingers. _Huh… guess I'll have to be more careful next time. If this dull replica can cut, then I'm sure this "Caliburn" can. _Following the shoreline, Sonic destroyed more targets, while still trying to get a grip on the fact that the villagers and townspeople were not zombies, and they did not need their heads lopped off.

More ruins were visible in the distance, and at the speeds Sonic was traveling at, they were soon reached. The crumbling stone tunnel led to yet another land bridge, which only held one scraggly tree struggling for survival. A lone apple grew on the top, obviously ready to fall and be with the rest of its brethren, who were strewn along the ground below. Sonic smirked, lowered his upper body, and then leapt to the very top of the tree. He swung his Caliburn replica, and expertly cut the apple down, then in half. When he landed, he turned to look at it: the apple's star shaped centre could be seen perfectly, and the cut was clean and straight. Pleased with the progress in swordsmanship, Sonic snatched up the halves, threw one to Tails, and then ate the remainder as he raced off down the rest of the land bridge.

"Your ability with the sword has grown so quickly, I can hardly recall the time before you held it!" praised Merlina, knowing the encouraging words would find their way to the hedgehog's ego.

"All this is too easy. Don't you have anything tougher? I'm falling asleep!" Sonic beamed at the sarcastic retort, and Tails gave him a quick thumbs up. He crossed another bridge of ivory, this one linking back to the mainland's shore. There were more targets to be destroyed, villager-zombies to be avoided, and boars to repel. As he ran along the shoreline, Sonic noticed a significant increase in the targets, but nothing more difficult. Silently, he was somewhat grateful. Those cocky statements tended to get him into tough situations, but more targets was something he could handle easily!

Coming up to some more in-tact buildings, Sonic leapt up to the higher level of ground, pleased to find himself at a straightaway without targets. He pushed himself harder, eager to break the sound barrier this time around. His heart was pumping faster and faster, pushing the adrenaline through his veins and giving him more confidence and ability. He was so close, so very, very close to breaking it! Just a little faster.

Suddenly, Merlina's voice interrupted Sonic's train of thought. "Very well. Why don't I give you something a little more challenging?" Sonic slowed down slightly, but changed his mind and sped ahead. He was almost at the key speed when a large, jade dragon with a sapphire horn dropped out of the sky, landing on the ground and roaring at him with a ferocity Shadow could only dream of. Sonic was forced to come to a screeching halt, the adrenaline still screaming at him to shatter the barrier of sound, but the dragon in front of him preventing it. Tails had landed safely on a nearby ivory column, his eyes wide with shock and his twin namesakes twitching with anxiety. "Behold! The ruler of this lake: the Myst Dragon!"

"Uh, I'm not sure I want to," whimpered Tails.

"Don't worry, li'l buddy!" Sonic called. "I got this!"

"Now, Sonic! Swing your sword!" cried Merlina. The Myst Dragon's muzzle was directly in front of Sonic, allowing for a direct hit. With a determined battle cry, Sonic launched himself at it, swinging his sword in a spin dash style, as Tails had suggested. Adrenaline increased his confidence as the dragon reared back, only to shove its muzzle at him again. Confused, Sonic simply retried his former attack. This time, the dragon jerked its head away, screamed in frustration, and still placed its head in the exact same place.

"What the heck is it doing?!" he exclaimed. The second he spoke, the Myst Dragon reared its head back and slammed it down. Sonic yelped and leapt to the side, glaring at a dragon's muzzle where he had stood seconds before. Taking his chance, Sonic lunged again, slicing the blade down across the dragon's maw and leaping onto the bridge of its nose. With one swing, Sonic sliced through the sapphire horn, and the dragon shrieked in agony before flying off. Sonic landed in a crouch, smirking. Tails flew down to meet him with a grin plastered on his face.

"I think I know why it was acting so weird. To tell you the truth, I don't it could see you, Sonic. It would explain why it attacked after you spoke," he explained. "It used sound to locate you."

Sonic winked at the fox before speaking to seemingly thin air. "How was that, Merlina? Did you see my real power?" he asked, knowing the wizard could hear him. Then he made the mistake of looking at his sword. It was covered in crimson, and the occasional drip would fall and stain the ground. His emerald eyes widened, and he gently caught some of the blood in his hand: dragon's blood. Sonic knew Merlina spoke to him, but what was said was completely lost on him. He had injured something alive; something that could feel pain. He had not even noticed it. Sonic remembered the adrenaline of the moment, and the surge of power when he realized the sword gave him a significant advantage: one that caused blood to spill. With a shudder, Sonic hid his emotions and cleaned the blade, still disturbed by the fact that he had lost his sense of self-control, even if only for a few minutes. He would have to keep check on that rush of energy.

Merlina came up to him, then pointed far into the distance. Sonic turned, confused. Upon seeing what she was pointing at, he understood: a large outcropping of rock rose at least a hundred feet from the lake's surface, forming an island. An oak tree determinedly struggled to grow at the top, and directly in front of it, a sword stood in the stone, half its blade resolutely embedded in the rock. Sonic grinned, dropped the rusty replica on the ground, and quickly leapt over to the island and raced up to the Sacred Sword. Tails followed, flying to the top and gazing at the magnificent weapon. It glowed slightly, casting a soft golden light; a feature the replica obviously lacked.

Tails fingered the hilt, only to jerk his hand back sharply. He yelped in pain, holding his hand and shaking it a little. "Tails?"

"I-I'm fine. Just a shock, is all. I can't touch it, Sonic."

Sonic watched Tails a little longer, ensuring he was alright, before returning his gaze to the Sacred Sword. "This must be it, then." Sonic grabbed the hilt with both hands, bracing himself for electrocution. The shock never came. He prepared to pull the sword out of the stone, but Merlina interrupted him.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready?" echoed Sonic. "Ready for what?"

Merlina sighed sadly before continuing. "If you remove Caliburn and defeat King Arthur with it, you shall forever be the worst of knights! Slayer of kings!"

Sonic glanced down at her, then back at Tails. The only thing on his mind now was the crimson blade, stained with the blood of the dragon. He had already hurt once, what difference was it if he hurt again? This time, something that was truly evil? Something he would not feel guilty for hurting later? He laughed, covering his whirlpool of indecision with sarcasm and confidence. "Guess I can't be the hero every time!"

Gripping Caliburn tightly, Sonic jerked it out of the stone. It came surprisingly easy, as if it was simply a fork stuck in mashed potatoes. Sonic would have laughed at his comparison, but the blinding golden light made him wince and look away. He yelped slightly. Surprised at the brightness, he quickly moved one arm to shield his eyes. When it faded, he was able to gaze directly at the sword. It was exactly like the replica, except it was brighter, had no rust, and the ruby in the centre was not a fake. Sonic could not help but whisper in awe: "The… the Sacred Sword…"

He fingered the edge of the blade, only to find it was just as dull as the replica. He snorted. "It's kinda sorry-looking."

"Fool!"

"Yaargh!" yelped Sonic, jumping back and dropping Caliburn. Unlike what he expected, which was for the sword to clatter to the earth, it hovered slightly in front of him. The bronze piece that held the blade lowered, and two green eyes and a mouth were now visible against the ivory. "Wh-what?!" Sonic carefully grabbed the hilt again, so Caliburn was not forced to hover.

"_You _are the Chosen One? You are but a squire!" he exclaimed, glaring at Sonic.

Tails immediately leapt to the defense of his brother. "Oh yeah?! Says you!" he snapped. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have berated himself for talking to a supposedly inanimate object.

Merlina smiled, then explained: "Caliburn has a mind of his own. He selects his bearer."

Sonic frowned, displeased with the turn of events. "Yeah? Well it's got a pretty smart mouth on it for a _sword_."

"Hmph!" snorted Caliburn. "The impertinent one is _you, _knave. Brace yourself, for I shall train you until you are worthy! Worthy to bear the Sacred Sword: Caliburn!"

"_Sonic!"_ The last portion of Caliburn's speech was lost to the hedgehog as Tails cried his name, pointing desperately behind him. Sonic swung Caliburn around, grinning at the sound of metal scraping against stone, which he thought only added to the epic feel of the motion. In the distance stood King Arthur, sitting triumphantly on his black steed, preparing to charge the hedgehog and the kitsune, blade drawn.

Sonic lowered his head and glared at the corrupted king. "Alright, professor." He transferred Caliburn so he was held in both hands, pointing directly at his enemy. The king's steed leapt high into the air, and he raised Deathcalibur above his head, preparing to bring it down on the brothers. "Work your magic!"


	3. A Fool of a Knight

_Oh, Chaos, what the heck am I doing?!_ Sonic's thoughts raced through his head almost as fast as he could run as he jumped skywards to meet King Arthur. His main concern was protecting Tails from Deathcalibur, whose blade Sonic was sure would cut easily through a fox's flesh. He gripped Caliburn tightly, swinging him around to block the King's blow. The black steed whinnied in shock from the clang of the blades, and shot back down to the ground. Gravity eventually took its toll on Sonic, who was forced to land in a defensive crouch. His grip on Caliburn loosened the slightest bit, at which the sword harshly protested.

"Don't you dare drop me, fool!" he snapped.

Sonic rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to King Arthur. The Black Knight was obviously amused at Sonic and Caliburn's convenient personality clash. He was determined to warp that crack in their relationship until they snapped, therefore gaining the upper hand. "Let us see the power of your so-called 'Sacred Sword,'" he growled. He forced his horse into a tight turn, which was protested by the horse's rearing, before taking off down the land bridge Sonic had used to get there.

"After him!" ordered Caliburn. Sonic needed no second bidding, and took off in pursuit of the Black Knight. Catching up was easy, since they were on an obstacle-free straightaway. However, Caliburn was very unused to Sonic's speed, and snapped at him whenever he found Sonic's grip was not as tight as he felt it should be. Sonic groaned and focused on the task ahead: defeating King Arthur. The sun was almost completely below the horizon, and Sonic knew he would have to end this quickly, or battle throughout the night. The latter situation was one he preferred to avoid.

Sonic had caught up with the horse and rider, only to be turned upon once he was near enough to do damage. With a yelp, he jumped backwards, barely avoiding the tip of Deathcalibur's blade as it sliced in front of his chest. "Remain calm!" shouted Caliburn. "Swing in time with your opponent's attack!"

"Easier said than done, professor," growled Sonic, watching as King Arthur took his chance and bolted again down the bridge. Sonic knew the King's goal was to kill the three of them and regain possession of Caliburn, so the fact that he was running confused him greatly. Still, there was no time to ponder, at least if he wanted to catch up to him. He rushed forward again, keeping a tight grip on Caliburn to prevent further chiding. The ruins were a blur as Sonic ran past them, desperate to catch up to the Black Knight again.

His speed did not fail him, and he was soon in the same position as before, with King Arthur whirling around and swinging Deathcalibur at him. This time, however, Sonic swung Caliburn to deflect the attack. He succeeded, but the King was not deterred; merely swinging his sword again. Sonic kept time with the attacks, but struggled to push back the large blade with Caliburn's thinner edge. After Sonic successfully deflected blow after blow, the Black Knight grew angry, swinging his sword harder and faster than any of the times before. Sonic barely managed to knock the blow away. "_Jump!_" cried Caliburn.

Sonic obeyed, although he was not entirely sure why. Then he found what Caliburn had seen: King Arthur's swing had set him off-balance, and he had dropped his steed's reins. Now, stretching to regain control of the horse, he was vulnerable to attack. Sonic swung Caliburn down ruthlessly, scraping the blade against the gold armor and nearly piercing it through. The horse leapt up in surprise at the attack, darting off down the path. The way the King's back arched revealed the blow had done far more than dent his armor.

"You'll never get away!" yelled Sonic, dashing down the path in hot pursuit of the villain.

King Arthur glared at the hedgehog over his shoulder, replying with a shout: "Pursue me at your own peril, weakling!"

Sonic was known to either take an insult, snap back with another, or prove to the one who insulted him they were wrong. In this particular case, the King's words had hit a fine nerve, and Sonic's instincts told him to leap high into the air and slice Caliburn down across the King's smug face. Sonic never was one to ignore his instincts. Caliburn yelled in protest, but he was too late to do anything to stop the hedgehog. The second Sonic was above the King, Deathcalibur sliced across his torso and sent him flying into a crumbling pillar.

"Fool!" shouted Caliburn. Sonic gasped at the amount of pain coming from his midsection, but rose nonetheless. Crimson blood and dust now covered his once-clean fur, making Sonic cringe. That would not be fun to clean up later. King Arthur had made major progress in running down the land bridge, and three Knights of the Underworld stood in between him and Sonic. Their smoky, human-like bodies were almost transparent, and black and purple in hue; but their silver swords glinting in the waning sunlight proved they were not just illusions. Sonic charged them full speed, despite the pain to his abdomen, and sliced Caliburn through the first.

He was not surprised when the only evidence the knight had been there was a dropped sword, some armor, and disappearing smoke. The other two were "killed" with relative ease, and soon Sonic was caught up to the King again. Just like before, he managed to deflect blows until King Arthur grew too angry and careless. Sonic successfully injured the King yet again, this time drawing blood. With a cry of victory as the steed ran off yet again, Sonic jumped onto the rail of the ivory bridge they had come to, grinding along it and ignoring the pain, as well as the trail of scarlet he left behind.

When he caught up, he leapt down and raced to meet him, swearing not to make the same mistake of exposing his lower body to Deathcalibur's edge. Sonic was feeling extremely dizzy and light-headed, which he knew was due to the blood loss, and found deflecting Deathcalibur's swings twice as hard as they should have been. Caliburn seemed to notice the change. "You're doing fine. Keep attacking!" he encouraged.

Sonic nodded, sweat matting the thicker fur behind his ears and plastering the shorter fur uncomfortably to his skin. Finally, he realized that King Arthur had learned his lesson and was definitely _not _going to lose his temper again. So Sonic did not wait for him to. Instead, he leapt up directly after a blow and sliced Caliburn down across the King's head, piercing the helmet and cutting deeply along the side of his head.

The Black Knight yelled in agony as he fell off of his steed, holding his hand to his head to stop the bleeding. Sonic landed in a crouch, panting harshly and barely managing to rise to his feet. _It's over. I'm alright. Tails can fix the cut, I'm fine… Caliburn's fine… I did it! _Sonic continued to reassure himself, watching the King slowly push himself to his knees. Then he noticed what was in the King's hand: a sheath, matching perfectly to the picture Merlina had shown him mere hours before this.

"No!" Sonic cried, watching in horror and helplessness as swirls of light enveloped King Arthur. His wounds, as well as the dents and slices in his armor, faded into nothingness: he was in perfect health. The same could not be said for Sonic. With a deep breath and a gathering of wits, Sonic held Caliburn ready, prepared for another attack. "This could go on forever…" he murmured, his breaths coming raspy and harsh. His sarcastic tone returned, though, as he sought to blame the loss on Caliburn. "You sure you're a Sacred Sword?"

Caliburn snorted disdainfully. "It is you, sir, who lacks the proper fighting skills." Sonic turned and glared at the sword, obviously not expecting him to snap back with any sort of insult. Suddenly, he whirled back around and tensed as King Arthur leapt back to his steed. There was no need, for the King did not move to attack again.

"Hah! A fool of a knight. Not even worth _slaying_."

Sonic growled, only to be interrupted by Caliburn. "You see? He thinks so, too!"

"Well, it's _your _fault!" snapped Sonic, officially ticked off by this point. "You're a lousy excuse for a teacher!" Caliburn simply glared back at Sonic. King Arthur, seeing his presence was no longer warranted, took off into the sky. Sonic was about to shout after him, but Caliburn leapt out of his hand and hovered in front of him. "Hey!"

"You, sir, will need much training before you can successfully wield the great Sacred Sword and defeat King Arthur."

"Sacred Sword?! Bah! Look what good it did me!" shouted Sonic. "You barely even touched the guy!"

"He is a _King, _knave, and my edge does nothing when it is not manipulated correctly."

"Hey, now, I did everything you told me!" Sonic pointed accusingly at Caliburn, both of whom were growing closer to their wit's end. Luckily, their argument was broken by Merlina and Tails' arrival.

"_Sonic!" _cried Tails, racing over to his brother and embracing him. Sonic yelped, jerking backwards and avoiding the hug. Tails looked confused at first, until he saw the scarlet seeping through his brother's fur. "Oh, Chaos! Sonic, what happened?! You're bleeding! Badly!"

"It was his own fault, fox," stated Caliburn matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah? Well--" Tails stopped. He had not seen much of the battle, so could not testify for or against Sonic's actions. "I'm sure you didn't do anything to help him!"

"I tried to warn him," the sword argued.

Tails ignored Caliburn, turning his attention to Sonic's wound. Merlina sighed and spoke as Tails looked around for any useful healing herbs. "For as long as he bears that scabbard, we may never be able to defeat King Arthur!"

Sonic glanced over at Merlina, but sat down as his head began to pound and his balance wavered. "So… what're we gonna do?"

Caliburn replied for the wizard: "We must ask the scabbard's former owner how to hinder its power."

"Who asked you, dull-blade?" snapped Sonic.

"He's right," Merlina assured, intervening.

Sonic sighed. "Alright, then, so who would the scabbard's former owner be? Hm?"

"Nimue, the Lady of the Lake!" announced Tails, reentering with only a handful of herbs, which Sonic eyed warily.

"Yes. The one I mentioned earlier," added Merlina.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go pay her a little visit!" chirped Sonic, starting to rise.

"Oh, no you don't!" cried Tails, shoving his brother back down. "You're staying here for the night. Besides, how would she like it if we just showed up on her doorstep now?"

"The fox has a point," agreed Caliburn. "Besides, I fear it may not be as simple as just arriving."

"Whaddya mean?" challenged Sonic.

"You shall see for yourself. For now, the fox is right. Let him dress your wound, and we will rest. We can head for the Lady of the Lake's residence tomorrow at dawn."

Sonic shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Merlina started a fire with magic and set some of the lake water to boil while Tails tried to make do with what little materials he had. "Hey, Sonic, you're not using the glove under your hand gauntlet, are you?"

Sonic took off the silver and gold piece of armor, glancing at the unharmed hand below it. "I guess not. Why?"

"I might be able to use it as a gauze of sorts, since I don't have any bandages. The herb mixture I make should be sticky enough for it to stay on."

Reluctantly, Sonic allowed Tails to take the glove, but before the fox could do anything, Merlina arrived with some true bandages. "Where'd ya get those?" asked Sonic.

"Tails was describing to me what he wished he had, so I conjured some up with magic. I can't do too many things anymore, not since King Arthur has put a cap on all my abilities, but I can still accomplish many minor tasks. You will find some bed rolls on the other side of the campfire. I talked with Caliburn, and he agreed to take watch, since he requires no sleep."

"What about you?" inquired Tails, returning Sonic's glove and unwrapping the bandages.

"I'm going to… walk. I want to scout out the path ahead."

Sonic gave her a doubtful look, but nodded. "Sure. We'll be here if you need us."

Merlina nodded, leaving the two brothers alone with Caliburn. The sword watched, amused as Sonic winced every time Tails rinsed the wound or placed some of the herb poultice on it. "You will have to be more careful, knave. Your lack of judgment could have cost you your life today."

Tails glared at the sword. "Can't you just leave him alone?" he snapped. "I'm sure he's sorry, alright?"

Caliburn said nothing, but watched in silence as Tails cautiously wrapped the bandages around Sonic's torso. The wound was deep, but not deep enough to cause damage that was too serious. Other than dizziness from the blood loss, Sonic had no other side effects from the sword's cut. Merlina had feared the edge might have been poisoned, but Tails had reassured her that if it was, he had all the right herbs to fight a toxin. As Tails carefully navigated Sonic's backspines, he bumped up against something hard. It fell to the ground, and Tails gasped slightly.

"What is that?" inquired Caliburn.

Sonic shrugged. "It's just a Chaos Emerald. I keep one with me everywhere I go."

"You had a Chaos Emerald, and you didn't tell me?!" cried Tails.

"If you really want to know, I currently have all seven."

"Where on earth could you keep them?" Caliburn mused, not directly asking either of the brothers.

"That's my little secret, dull-blade," laughed Sonic, winking at the Sacred Sword cheekily.

"Sonic, you have all seven Chaos Emeralds. Why didn't you use them?!"

"Well, I tried, Tails. The problem is… well… the Master Emerald isn't here. Guess who lives there?"

"Chaos! Oh my--… they're just stones now, aren't they?"

Sonic nodded. "Yep. Without Chaos, they're just really pretty rocks. Probably worth a lot, too. At least I know where they are. Egghead won't be able to get them while I'm gone."

"Egghead?" echoed Caliburn.

"Nevermind," Sonic sighed. "It'd take too long to explain."

"Doesn't matter," stated Tails, returning the Chaos Emerald to its place among Sonic's spines. "You're done, Sonic. We can go to bed, now."

Sonic yawned in response, wincing as he rose and walked over to the mats Merlina had provided. "G'night, Tails."

"'night, Sonic."

While Sonic fell asleep almost immediately, Tails remained awake. The embers of the fire had long died out, so only the stars and the moon gave any light to a dark version of Misty Lake. The mists that earned the lake its name had started to come in, chilling the fox to the bone as well as dampening his fur. He shivered involuntarily, and his chest constricted as he realized he was scared. Yes, Sonic was there, but for whatever reason, Tails feared he was in more danger of losing his brother now than ever before.

Tails rolled over onto his side, crying softly away from Sonic, should the hedgehog awaken. Caliburn glanced in his direction curiously. "Fox?"

The kitsune sniffed and shoved his face into the pillow, trying to hide his features from the Sacred Sword. "Leavemelone," he muttered, slurring his words.

Caliburn watched him for a little bit, but did not pressure him further. He was not one to get into the emotions of the Mobians, or even the Arthurians, so he let the fox be. Tails tried to calm down, but could not reassure himself that he was safe. Sonic continued to groan in his sleep every time he rolled over or moved the slightest bit, unconsciously angering the wound across his midsection. While Tails had thought this mission would be like any other, having Sonic wounded from day one proved to him this was definitely not the case. Sonic was vulnerable, if only because he was unused to sword fighting, and that was what everyone insisted he do.

Finally, Tails could tolerate his whirling emotions no longer. He stood up and walked over to Caliburn, who glanced at the fox with a kinder expression than he did Sonic. "C-Caliburn?" he murmured, nervous about talking to a fatal weapon taller than him.

"Yes, fox?"

"Merlina said that you would train Sonic. Y'know, about sword fighting."

"Yes."

"Well… do you think you could… I dunno! Just teach him, so he doesn't get killed!" cried Tails, desperate. "He's the only one who ever cared about me, and I can't lose him!"

"I cannot speak for his decisions and actions, fox. What happened today was a result of his own impulsiveness. However, I will try my best to assure your friend does not die. However, I have to ask for something in return."

"What?"

"He needs to be willing to learn. If he's not, anything I say will be pointless. Silent words, if you will. You'll have to persuade him to listen to me, you know."

Tails nodded determinedly. "Whatever you say, Caliburn. Anything, so long as Sonic gets out of this alive."

"Yes… Now sleep. We leave at dawn, and that time quickly approaches."

With a final nod, Tails obediently returned to his bedroll, watched closely by Caliburn. Truthfully, Sonic grated against his every nerve, and Caliburn had a great desire to see him learn a lesson. Yet he had an even greater desire to ensure the young fox did not lose his mentor. He did not know why he cared for him, but something about his mature actions and concerns endeared him to the kitsune.

Caliburn tore his thoughts away, turning his attention to the surrounding area. Swearing to train the hedgehog until safely able to fight King Arthur was one thing, but it would do no good if he was killed in the night due to an unwary guard.

***

"Awaken, knave. We have places to be."

_Dang. I hurt._

"Now."

"Comin'," growled Sonic, pushing himself up. He groaned as his torso screamed at him, feeling far worse than it did when he had fallen asleep the night before.

"Morning, Sonic!" chirped Tails, waving as he entered their camp. "I found a few apples. Caliburn said we have to eat along the way if we want to make it to the Lady of the Lake by noon."

"Of course he did," muttered Sonic, snatching one of the apples. Everything was ready for them to leave, much to Sonic's dismay.

"Ready?" asked Tails, choosing his own apple.

"He is," answered Caliburn. "Onward, my young knave!"

Sonic whirled angrily on the sword. "Stop calling me knave! My name is Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog!" he snapped.

"Very well, then," stated Caliburn. "I shall call you Knave. The Hedgehog."

With an immature eye roll, Sonic grabbed Caliburn's hilt and took off running. "Whatever, you over-sized letter opener."

"Careful, Sonic!" cried Tails. "Don't run too fast, or you might reopen your wound. And listen to Caliburn!" The fox leapt into the air and followed as close as he could, leaping across ruins as they headed deeper into Misty Lake.

Much to Sonic's disappointment, the second he made it to a straightaway, he found more targets in need of destruction. He snorted. "I guess I need some more sword practice."

Caliburn glanced at the wooden targets and snickered. "It's fit for a knave like you!"

Sonic growled, but held tightly to Caliburn as he swung and destroyed the targets. He maneuvered well despite his wound, but jumping and spinning to hit the higher targets was obviously more painful than he desired. Two wild boars charged him, but were easily deflected with the flat of Caliburn's blade. Targets began to appear in between villagers, forcing Sonic to tighten his sword swings or behead the townspeople. Even though he tried to swing Caliburn closer to himself, he still "killed" just about every other wooden villager.

Merlina's voice rang in his ear after only a short while: "You have some more work to do."

The targets began to line up in rows of up to three or four at a time. "Destroy all of them!" ordered Caliburn.

"But be careful!" added Tails, flying above and ensuring each movement Sonic made was a safe one.

Releasing a sigh of frustration, Sonic made clear his dislike of having _three _mentors throwing advice at him. He swung Caliburn in a wide arch, slicing neatly through all the targets. The next line of four were not wood, however. "This stone is hard and difficult to shatter, but if you keep your attacks relentless, you should be able to break through it," stated Merlina.

With a groan, Sonic began the attack, wincing as his torso protested the wide and harsh movements. Caliburn stuck in the top of one, and Sonic managed to launch himself over the barrier and into the cave beyond. Taking a lesson from before, he did not continue his dash, but waited for Tails to catch up. His harsh panting made it clear that not only was Caliburn heavier than Merlina's duplicate, but he was in no condition to be wielding such a blade. Caliburn glanced at both Sonic and Tails, before speaking up.

"I suppose something must be done about this."

Sonic glanced at the sword, which was now hovering beside him. "What're you talking about?" he snapped.

"My edge has grown… blunt. Being in that rock for so long has taken its toll," he admitted.

"Ha! Not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?" barked Sonic, smirking.

"_That's _because a gentleman shouldn't _have _such an edge!" argued Caliburn.

"Gentleman?" echoed Sonic with a laugh. "Who are you callin' 'gentleman?'"

Caliburn gave the hedgehog a smug grin. "Seek out the blacksmith in the Castle Town. I must be presentable when we meet the Lady of the Lake."

Tails nodded before Sonic could protest. "Alright, Caliburn. We have all day, and Camelot shouldn't be too far from here. We should easily be back before twilight to talk to her."

Sonic sighed, outvoted. "What're you gonna do, Merlina?" He turned to look at the wizard, only to see her gaze was completely lost in a flower. "Merlina? Hello?"

Tails looked at the wizard as well, just as confused as Sonic and Caliburn. Then Merlina spoke, but not to any of them specifically: "Why do flowers bloom, knowing they are destined to wither?" she whispered, holding a fire orange wildflower. She smelled it, inhaling the sweet aroma as she mused.

"Huh?" Sonic glanced at the flower, then the wizard, perplexed.

"Their time of beauty is so short-lived…" Suddenly, she seemed to realize that she was not alone. "Oh! Forgive me, Sonic, but I would be recognized in Camelot. I assure you, King Arthur will not cease in his pursuit to kill us. I shall remain behind, in hiding."

"All right, then. I guess it's so long for now!" called Sonic, racing off.

"Sonic, wait!" Tails cried, taking off after the hedgehog. Merlina smiled as she watched the brothers argue with Caliburn about the easiest and quickest route to Camelot.

"May your journey be safe."


	4. The Blacksmith

"I knew trusting a sword for directions was a bad idea. He's been stuck in a rock for over a hundred years! What were we thinking?!"

Sonic stood just outside the forest behind Misty Lake, leaning against Caliburn's hilt, whose blade was pressed firmly in the ground. While the sword's disdain for being used as a staff was clear, he did not object; mainly because the reason they had been lost was his fault. After just a hundred years, who knew so many paths would be overgrown?! If it had not been for Tails' flight and ability to see over the trees to locate the main pathway, they would probably have still been bumbling around the woods like idiots.

Much to Sonic's disappointment, Camelot Castle sat on the shore of yet another lake. However, unlike Misty Lake's open atmosphere, a cliff bordering Camelot prevented any easy escape from the water. This lake was a clear, cobalt blue, similar in shade to Sonic's fur, and far larger than Misty Lake. Caliburn told them it was Lake Avalon, named after the island that stood in the distance. While recovering their frazzled senses of direction, Tails was gazing at the grey-shadowed silhouette of the island. "So that's Avalon?" he inquired.

"Yes," confirmed Caliburn. "I believe King Arthur's castle is located there, unless he moved while I was dormant."

Sonic snorted. "You mean he doesn't live in Camelot, like in the stories?"

"King Arthur did live in Camelot, but was moved to Avalon when he was defeated by Mordred. He was sent there to recover, under the watchful eye of his sister: Morgan Le Fay. Apparently he survived, but now reigns from there instead of his original castle in Camelot," explained Tails.

"Very good, young kitsune! You are well-read."

Tails blushed through his white cheek fur. "Thanks."

"Alright!" Sonic interrupted, jerking Caliburn out of the ground. "Enough bonding. Time to find a blacksmith!"

Sonic took off down the path leading to Camelot Castle, scaring the ravens pecking hopelessly at crumbs along the path. Disappointingly, there was a lack of food on the ground. Tails followed Sonic closely, his task far easier now that the hedgehog was forced to run slower. Caliburn eyed the ravens, then Tails. "Something is wrong. Today is Friday, am I correct?"

Tails nodded. "It was Thursday when we fell down here, and assuming our worlds are on the same time schedule, that would make today Friday."

"Hmm… Market Day. It is on this day that the ravens are most well-fed. They should not be scavenging now. We better be careful. The Market's schedule is rarely upset."

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe they just learned not to drop their stuff. Ever think of that?" snapped Sonic, speeding up to prove his point.

"Sonic, you should really be on the lookout. You must be cautious."

"Life's a game, Caliburn. I play it by my rules, alright?"

Caliburn's reply was lost on Sonic, who was now racing towards the castle drawbridge, which crossed safely over an inlet of Lake Avalon. Two rushing waterfalls poured out of towers on either side of the lowered drawbridge, pouring back into the lake and providing a beautiful touch to the bland stone of the castle. Dark green ivy climbed determinedly up the walls, clinging to jutting stones and wooden stakes as they made their eternal journey upwards. As far as Sonic could tell, the entrance was unguarded and completely safe.

Yet the second Sonic stepped foot in the threshold of the doorway, three Knights of the Underworld rose from the floor. "Sonic, look out!" cried Tails.

The kit's warning was unneeded, as Sonic leapt up and sliced through the first one, eagerly destroying his companions in a similar manner. He landed skillfully on his feet, avoiding the leftover armor and dissipating smoke. "I told you," muttered Caliburn.

"Shut up, dull-blade." Sonic glanced around, noticing they were literally _above _Lake Avalon, and more waterfalls poured into the body of water from inside the castle walls. A rickety wooden bridge crossed over into the town itself. Tails was in awe of the design, gently fingering stones and observing the layout of the entryway.

"Wow… Sonic, this is amazing! The bridge and water would force infiltrating armies to come in single-file. It would make it easy to kill off invaders before they even reached you. The defense system in the simple entrance is absolutely astounding!"

"Yeah," agreed Sonic. "And the demonic door-greeters aren't bad, either."

The hedgehog wasted no time in charging forward across the wooden bridge, killing the two demons who tried to bar his entrance into Camelot. When he reached the other side, he barely caught a glimpse of the townspeople as they rushed to hide in their homes. A creek flowed on one side, so they all raced to the left. Sonic watched them, confused. "Everyone's acting very strange," commented Caliburn.

"I hadn't noticed."

"_Ahem! _Let us survey the area ahead. Perhaps their behavior will be less odd if they live closer to the protection of the Castle Guards."

"Right," muttered Sonic. He moved forward, only to trigger the appearance of three more knights. "Dang it! Am I doing this?!"

"No. King Arthur simply has them appear whenever an enemy is in the premises of his castles. It wouldn't matter if it was Tails or I coming through first, the result would be the same."

Sonic barely heard the sword's explanation as he blocked blows from crooked scimitars and sliced through demons, working his way through the growing knot of demons until he broke through. Finally, he made it to the walkway on the other side. A short garden wall was on his left, but the thick border wall of the castle was on his right. It was a forced run straight through, fighting without the option to flee.

"Tails!" called Sonic. "Fly ahead and tell me if you see an open pathway!" The kitsune nodded and took off ahead, leaping across columns and arches to keep ahead of the hedgehog following him. Sonic continued his run, dashing up a short flight of stairs and reaching a crossroads. Villagers ran screaming when they saw Sonic, and louder when they saw the soldiers attacking him. Curling into a desperate spin dash, Sonic sliced through three soldiers at once, before swinging his sword around and cutting through two more. Knights continued to charge him, but Sonic barely managed to communicate with a running villager. "H-hey, are you alright?"

The zombie-like expression on the townsperson's face did not change, but was hidden as he fled. "What's their problem?" Sonic yelped as he barely ducked a scimitar swung over his head, then stabbed through the chest piece of the demon, sending it back to the Underworld, screaming.

"It's no use trying to talk to them when there are enemies around!" snapped Caliburn. "Just keep going!"

Sonic gave a brief nod before moving forward once again, running up another flight of stairs. Now, waterfalls poured down both walls beside him, forming running creeks that flowed through Camelot and back towards Lake Avalon. More and more knights appeared, and Sonic was forced to swing Caliburn in a somewhat maniacal fashion in order to keep them at bay. His torso hurt tremendously, but stopping would only get him killed. The pathway ended in a drop off, crossed by a few weak, wooden boards, with two cowering townspeople on the edge. Sonic paused and gently touched one's shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

The villager gazed at him with black eyes, glazed over and full of terror. "Y-you… You're the blue hedgehog!"

Sonic glanced around. "Do you see another?" "You better run. The King wants nothing more than to see you dead."

"So I've heard," Sonic groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Not now, Sonic!" snapped Caliburn. "Onward!"

Reluctantly, Sonic obeyed. He gingerly stepped on the wooden bridge, wincing as it bent under his weight. "Are you sure this is safe?"

The villager nodded. "I doubt you weigh enough to hurt it. The King has crossed it on his horse before." At that, Sonic bolted across full-speed. The next walkway was filled with villagers, forcing Sonic to dodge left and right, as well as leap over some of the barrels of goods in his way. Poorer townspeople had set up fires on the edge of the path, and Sonic had already managed to singe his fur cutting too close to one of them. It was extremely frustrating having to avoid so many people, especially when they seemed to line up just to make it impossible for him to maneuver.

Finally, though, Sonic reached the open air on the other side. A knot of Underworld knights were in the center of another crosswalk, surrounding something that was completely invisible amongst their bulky bodies. With one determined battle cry, Sonic leapt into the fray, slicing the demons left and right. He twisted as swords cut dangerously close to his flesh, barely avoiding bloodshed but still killing the knights. Even though Sonic had killed multiple, they still appeared and attacked whatever was in the center. "This appears to be more than just a battle," stated Caliburn.

"Gee, what tipped you off?" growled Sonic, curling into a spin dash and straight through the knights. After Sonic forced two more to back away, he could see a glimpse of two golden fox tails between the knights. "_No!_" Now more determined than ever, Sonic attacked the knights with a fury unknown to Caliburn. Heartlessly, he swung his blade wildly, killing the knights and making more and more progress to Tails. After what felt like hours, the fox was finally rescued. Sonic knelt beside his cowering brother, panting from the exertion but more concerned for his brother's welfare than his own.

"S-Sonic?" whimpered Tails, glancing up at the hedgehog with wide, sapphire eyes.

"Tails! Are you alright?!" exclaimed Sonic, holding Tails close and leaving Caliburn to hover on his own.

"Y-yes, I think so. I landed to ask directions from one of the villagers, but I must have triggered some of the Knights from the Underworld. I couldn't get away. They didn't attack me, though. They just kept asking where you were. I wouldn't tell them."

"Tails, if they ever threaten you like that again, I want you to tell them where I am. Alright? I can fight them off. I don't want to see you trapped like that ever again."

"But Sonic--"

"No! They could have taken you to King Arthur, and he would have used you as leverage to get to me. No matter what happens, you can't get taken! I won't let you. So next time, _tell them where I am._"

Tails nodded silently, tears forming in his eyes as he buried his muzzle in Sonic's chest, trembling. "I'm sorry, Sonic! I'm sorry!" he wailed.

Sonic held the fox close to him, ignoring the pain it caused. Caliburn gently interrupted the two: "We should probably move on, in case more knights come."

With a reluctant sigh, Tails let go, sniffling a little. Sonic smiled softly. "Alright, lil' bro. You think you can keep up?" Tails nodded. "Then let's go." In a gust of wind, Sonic bolted up the flight of stairs to his left, only to trigger more knights. Tails cringed, but Sonic did not even falter. He leapt up to slice the first through its midsection, then curled and cut the other one clean in half. When he dashed forward, he was forced to come to a screeching halt and make a sharp, ninety degree turn. Avoiding a few jars in the pathway, he made yet another nail-biting turn, nearly running into the wall but stopping just in time.

Another flight of stairs led to a balcony, upon which a spinning turbine blew air throughout the castle town. "Where to now?" asked Tails. Before the fox could protest, Sonic had raced towards the turbine, allowing it to propel him forward. "_Sonic!_"

The hedgehog flew at least five hundred yards, landing in a crouch and using Caliburn to push himself forward yet again. "Be careful, fool!" snapped Caliburn. Sonic rolled his eyes and ran faster, triggering knights as he dashed into a tunnel. Forced to maneuver in a cramped area, Sonic had to swing Caliburn shorter distances to ensure he would make it to kill another knight or deflect another blow. A few times, a scimitar nicked his ear, but never did a blade get close to him otherwise. He escaped the tunnel, only to be confronted by three more knights forming a "human" wall.

Sonic yelled, both with frustration and determination, and killed them all with one swing. In his carelessness, he did manage to reopen the wound on his torso. He did not notice, due to fury blinding any clear thinking, but Tails noticed the fresh crimson leaking through the bandage. Wanting to say something, but not wanting to distract Sonic, he decided to point it out at the blacksmith's shop.

Next, Sonic found himself on a bridge crossing another portion of Lake Avalon. He sighed as villagers continued to get in his way, forcing him to either slow down or take a roundabout route to avoid them. All of a sudden, more demons were triggered, blocking the only way forward. "We're trapped on this bridge!" snapped Caliburn. "Hurry!"

"Oh, _for the love of Chaos!_" shouted Sonic, snarling as he sliced through them again. He forced himself to fight on, despite his arms screaming at him to drop Caliburn and his legs threatening to buckle under him. He charged through them, ignoring the cries of the townspeople as he killed more and more of the knights, his eyes gleaming as he attacked. When he reached the other side of the bridge, two heavy oak doors slowly cracked open. Sonic barreled through them, impatient and wanting only to hand Caliburn over to someone else for a few hours. However, his entrance only triggered more knights, forcing him to attack once again.

He fought through them, only to have to make another ninety degree turn at high speeds. He crossed a small, wooden bridge, making it a few hundred feet before confronted again. Tails winced as more and more demonic knights fell prey to Caliburn's edge and Sonic's infuriated blows, swearing he had never seen the hedgehog so frustrated. It was strange: Sonic was winning, he had not been yelled at by Caliburn for a while now, and had only gained minor wounds. His frustration and fury was absolutely uncalled for, but was real just the same. Someone threatening Tails had awakened something far more sinister than Tails would have thought.

Finally, he came to a house with a sign hanging over it. The picture was of a golden sword, and on either side were two fox tails. "Weird," muttered Sonic, walking in. The first thing Tails heard when he entered was a yelp, and then his name. He rushed in, only to stop and stare.

"Wh-wh-what?!" Standing before him was a two-tailed kitsune, staring back, just as shocked as Tails himself. Yet while Tails wore only gloves and sneakers, this vulpine was dressed in garb appropriate for that of a smithy. He had a leather apron draped about his neck, hanging in front of his chest fur. A turquoise glove was on his right hand, holding a mallet, while his other lifted up a pair of protective goggles over his three stray bangs, revealing sapphire eyes. His red boots made him a little bit taller than Tails, but it was obvious that without the boost, they would be identical in height. Both were shocked out of their wits.

Caliburn was the only one who still had the ability of speech. "Well? This is the smithy, correct?"

The blacksmith shook his head, turning to look at the sword. His eyes widened once again. "It… it talks?"

Sonic sighed. "Unfortunately. Can we start over?"

"Please?" added Tails.

With a chuckle, the blacksmith kindly obliged. "Of course. Yes, this is the smithy. Welcome, Sir Knight!"

"Oho, he is no knight! At least not yet," interrupted Caliburn, smirking.

"Says you!" barked Sonic, laying his ears back and growling softly. The blacksmith flipped the mallet into his other hand, pulling off the glove and gently fingering Caliburn's blade.

"What a magnificent sword!" he murmured, admiring the handiwork of the forger. "I know a fine blade when I see it, and this is most definitely a fine blade!" With the permission of the sword himself, the blacksmith picked him up to get a closer look at the edge and hilt.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Just don't admire him too much, or he'll get a big head."

"Fool," muttered Caliburn.

"Anyway, think you could sharpen this dull piece of rust?" inquired Sonic.

"Hmph! It is you who is dull!" snapped Caliburn.

"Oh, yeah, great comeback, dull-blade. Reusing mine, 'cause you couldn't come up with your own. Brilliant."

Caliburn immediately retorted, leaping out of the blacksmith's hands and glaring eye-to-eye with Sonic. Tails sighed and walked over to the blacksmith. "Sorry about them."

Tails' twin shrugged. "It's alright. I guess it'll be easier talking to you. I can sharpen the sword, easily. What is it's name?"

"Caliburn," replied Tails matter-of-factly.

"Caliburn?" echoed the blacksmith. "I know I've heard that name before… but where?"

"It's familiar to you, too?!" exclaimed Tails, swishing his namesakes.

"Oh, yeah!" agreed the blacksmith, waving his tails similarly. "I just can't place it. You?"

"Nah," sighed Tails. "I've been trying to for the past two days."

"I'll see if I can come up with anything. What's your name?"

"Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails."

The blacksmith smiled. "My name is Crevan Smith, and, well, most people call me Tails, as well. Perhaps we should stick with first names, for the sake of sanity?"

Tails nodded. "Sure. It's nice to meet you, Crevan."

"And you, Miles. Now, if your sword would stop discussing the art of insults with its bearer, I could begin work. However, it might take half an hour or so. Why not stay for lunch? I haven't eaten yet."

"We haven't either. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not! I don't normally have guests, especially not ones with two tails like me."

Tails laughed. "Yeah, it's kinda weird." The two kitsunes walked into the back room of the smithy and began making lunch for them all while Caliburn and Sonic continued to trade insults. They discussed all manner of subjects, mostly the mathematical ones. While Crevan was astonished by Tails' knowledge of the mystical "air plane", Tails was equally astonished by Crevan's skills with swords. While Sonic ate, Crevan showed Tails just how to sharpen a blade, and Caliburn even allowed Tails to try it himself. Sonic spent his time recovering from the insane battle leading up to the smithy, and wondering how on Mobius he was supposed to keep this up.

Tails had chosen this haven to redress Sonic's wound, much to Crevan's horror. "How on earth did you get hurt that badly?" murmured the kitsune, awed.

Sonic shrugged. "Something about a ticked-off king."

Crevan's eyes widened. "_The _king? King Arthur?"

"Yeah," muttered Sonic. "That sword of his really hurts, you know."

"I can imagine," murmured Crevan. "He forced me to sharpen it just two days ago. That rough edge catches on the flesh, tearing it more efficiently. I knew it'd be dangerous, but I'd never seen someone cut by it who wasn't dead. You know, when he came, he was screaming about some hedgehog. You're him, aren't you?"

"Yup. I guess I'm getting pretty popular around here."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that," replied Crevan. "Every guard in Camelot has orders to bring you to King Arthur, dead or alive. Looking at what King Arthur has planned, you might want to let them kill you first."

"He talked to you?" Tails asked.

"A little, mainly while waiting for Deathcalibur. He normally doesn't come in, but he was in a hurry, so he didn't send any of his knights. You really did something to have King Arthur so set on your head!"

With a roll of his eyes, Sonic walked off the second Tails was finished. Crevan watched him go, sighing. "Did I make him angry?"

"No, I don't think so. Sonic's one of those people who isn't fazed by having entire countries after him. It's happened before."

"Before?" inquired Crevan. "What the heck does he do?"

Tails shrugged. "Nothing, really. Most of the time, he's unjustly accused of whatever they think he's done. This time, though, he really did it."

"Did _what_? I didn't think _anything _could make the King so mad!"

"It has something to do with Merlina. I don't know anything other than that, except Sonic's interference immediately makes him an enemy."

Crevan nodded. "Yes. King Arthur has fallen, to be sure. I'll make sure you leave Camelot safely, and you are always welcome to return. Where are you headed next?"

"We're going to talk to the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, about how to hinder his scabbard's power of immortality."

"Ah, yes. That's a wise choice." Suddenly, the smithy door burst open, and at least a score of Underworld knights stormed in. Crevan leapt up, trying to deter them. "H-hey, can I help you?"

One knight, larger than the rest and wielding an axe instead of a scimitar, stepped forward. "We have been told you are harboring the blue hedgehog. Turn him over to us now, and you will not be harmed."

Crevan glanced desperately at Tails, who took the hint and snuck into the back room, where Sonic and Caliburn were. "I'm sorry, sir, but he's not here. You must have the wrong house."

"We know he is here," growled the knight, glaring at the kitsune. "That fox is his brother."

Crevan's eyes widened, now more desperate to let the others escape. However, the knights pushed past him, shoving him to the floor and storming the back room. Flying above them, Crevan managed to squeeze past and reach Sonic and Tails. Sonic was lowered in a fighting stance, holding Caliburn at the ready and snarling at the knights. "This way!" he cried, pointing upstairs. Tails gripped Sonic's wrist and practically pulled the hedgehog up the step ladder, and out onto the roof. The knights were rushing to follow, not expecting the blue hero to bolt. Crevan pointed at the castle wall behind him. "Jump there, and run left as fast as you can! There's an western exit that will drop you off right outside the Deep Woods. You can reach Nimue's residence from there!"

Sonic took off down the wall, wasting no time, but Tails gave Crevan a bright smile first. "Thanks. I'll be sure to stop by sometime!"

"Sure, just hurry!" snapped the blacksmith, trying to hold the knights back. Tails dipped his head and immediately followed Sonic, managing to get out of sight just as the knights poured onto the roof. They ignored Crevan, instead trying desperately to keep up with the hedgehog and kitsune. There was no hope for them.

Sonic had already bolted down the wall's pathway, reaching the wall opposite and stabbing Caliburn's newly sharpened blade into the wall. It was not far enough in the rock to keep him still, but instead allowed him to slow his descent to the ground below. The sound of Caliburn's edge scraping against the hard stone grated against Sonic's ears, but he pushed it out of his mind and continued to slide until he was about five feet above the ground. With one swift pull, he jerked Caliburn out of the wall and took off again.

The knights from behind began to appear in front of them, using their demonic abilities to teleport. Sonic was about to charge the entire group, but Caliburn stopped him, saying: "Sonic! I know those Emeralds still have power. Use it to slow time! You'll have a far better chance of survival if you do."

"What do you know about Chaos Emeralds?! They're not even from your world!"

"Sonic!" cried Tails. "Just trust Caliburn, please!"

Reluctantly, Sonic summoned what little power remained in the Chaos Emeralds. Surprising enough, it was enough to slow time. Sonic leapt into action, swinging his sword in a timely fashion and killing each knight before it had a chance to know what happened. He leapt to the next wall and slid down to the lower level of the castle's wall, eager to make it to the Deep Woods as fast as possible.

He repeated his actions from before, using limited Chaos Control to kill the knights and dash forward, therefore preserving his health. "One more level should do it, Sonic! I see the door!" called Tails, pointing excitedly.

Sonic eagerly leapt down to the next level of the wall, once again using Caliburn to delay his fall and keep all his bones intact. He sped through the door, continuing to kill knights as the pathway led outside of Camelot and back towards the Deep Woods. Sonic was still too high to leap down to freedom, and was forced to stay on the path by the wall on the other side. Soon, however, he managed to reach the ramp leading down to the town just inside the castle's wall.

"You ready, Caliburn?" laughed Sonic, speeding up.

"Hmph. I was _forged _ready, knave!"

"We'll see about that! Tails, head on to the entrance to the Deep Woods, alright? I'll meet you there!"

Tails looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Tails! If I'm not out there in fifteen minutes, you can come back."

The fox nodded and took off, his absence allowing Sonic to run faster and take riskier moves than before. He bolted through alleyways and in between the houses, avoiding barrels and boxes and racing up stairs to get to the exit. He soon found the constant maneuvering to be frustrating, and leapt skywards onto one of the shorter houses' roofs, then used an unstable wooden bridge to continue. More knights appeared, but Sonic simply used his newfound Chaos Control ability to kill them off and move on quickly.

In fact, allowing the time to slow made it possible for him to homing attack each one, killing them as he made his way up the climbing rooftops. He found another turbine, which led him onto the castle wall again. "Dangit," he muttered, finding the wall teeming with guards.

"It's alright," Caliburn assured him. "You have plenty of Chaos energy left to kill them all. Besides, this wall has steps leading straight out to the Deep Woods."

"If you say so, dull-blade," muttered Sonic, never losing his focus on the knights. Sonic soon killed all of them, and was at the entrance to the Deep Woods well within the time limit he had given Tails. However, the young kitsune was nowhere to be seen. A villager stood where he had told Tails to wait, hollow-eyed and nervous. "Hey, have you seen a two-tailed fox around here?" he snapped, knowing the question was odd.

"Y-yes," replied the villager. "Are you Sonic?"

"Yeah, I thought I was only known as 'the blue hedgehog' around here. Where is he?"

"T-taken, b-by the King's best knight: Sir Lancelot. The fox was screaming your name when he took him."

Sonic stared at the villager, and his grip tightened on Caliburn's hilt. Pure fury and unbridled hatred burned in his emerald green eyes, causing the townsperson to flee in fear. _Tails was taken. Oh, Chaos, they took him! _Caliburn tried to speak to the fuming hedgehog, but his words fell on deaf ears. If there was something one did not do, it was touch Sonic's little brother. There would be a price paid in blood, if Sonic had anything to do with it. He gave an animalistic yell, then shot forward down the path into the Deep Woods, determined to find his brother and make this "Sir Lancelot" pay. Dearly.

* * *

**A/N: **"Crevan" is an Irish name meaning "fox", which I thought fit Tails' twin. "Smith", obviously, came from his occupation. I nearly named him Miles Prower, but since all the other doppelgangers got new names, I figured Tails should too. That's where the blacksmith, who was nameless in the game, got the name "Crevan Smith."


	5. Sir Lancelot Appears

Sonic had never run so fast for so long in his entire life. The sound barrier had been broken long ago as he bolted into the forest and farther into Deep Woods. Caliburn had told him the woods were filled with scattered villages and farm towns, and that running into others was a very high likelihood if he was not cautious. The sword was tuned out very quickly by Sonic, whose only goal for the moment was to reach Tails and kill the so-called knight who kidnapped him. His emerald eyes were lit with hatred and a lust for vengeance. It was a side of the hero that most never saw. Each step he took increased his desire to see Tails' abductor pay in blood. With his feet hitting the ground thousands of times per second, it made his long for destruction maniacal.

He had been running for almost fifteen straight minutes without slowing down, and the Deep Woods were beginning to earn their name. Never had Sonic seen so many trees in one place, their limbs so tightly knit together. He was forced to dodge left and right to avoid being impaled by a gnarled root sticking out of the ground or smacking straight into a large trunk. Even though he maneuvered with great skill and avoided impact with all obstacles, the velocity at which they were traveling made Caliburn very uneasy. "Sonic, slow down! Carelessness will not save the fox any faster!" he snapped, forcing himself to use the hedgehog's true name. He figured it might catch the hero's attention.

While he was correct in his assumption, the reply was not what he desired. "Shut up, Caliburn. This is my fault, and I'm going to fix it."

"This is getting us nowhere. Travel as fast as you wish, but you've been going in circles for the last ten minutes."

The statement retrieved the desired reaction. Sonic came to a screeching halt that sent a flock of sparrows taking to the sky, screaming in terror. "What?!" exclaimed Sonic, throwing the sword and forcing him to hover. "You knew and you didn't say anything?! Tails could be killed because of you! I refuse to let that happen!"

"It won't, I promise you!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, dull-blade!" barked Sonic. "Especially when you're the one at fault!"

"Fine, but you must realize that this impulsiveness will get you nowhere! Sir Lancelot is the King's champion knight."

"How would you know, being in a rock for a hundred years? He wouldn't have been alive when you were."

"He is immortal."

Sonic whirled around and slammed his fist into a tree, the poor sapling falling victim to the hedgehog's powerful punch. "Of course! Why not have everybody and their brother be immortal?! Oh, and you might as well sic 'em all on me, too! Because Chaos knows _I'm _not frickin' immortal! Might as well take all them immortals on, right?!" he shouted, the sarcasm dripping from his words as he spat them out. "Of course, it's only logical that the immortal ones kidnap my brother."

"_Sonic!" _snapped Caliburn. "Stop that, this instant!"

"Oh, so you're my mother, now, is that it?"

"I swear, you are one of the most immature, blind, foolish knaves ever to set foot on this earth! If you ever defeat King Arthur, it will be a miracle!"

"What do you mean 'if?'" growled Sonic, trying to keep from snapping the sword in half.

"Well, if you keep up this nonsense, we'll never rescue your friend, and goodness knows you can't do anything without him."

"Hey--"

"You have to listen to me. Look at you! You've already undone all the work the fox did on your torso while at the smithy. Bleeding all over yourself, fool! You cannot win if you constantly re-injure your torso. Be more careful. Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, the Lady of the Lake lives somewhere up ahead."

"I couldn't care less. I want Tails back first."

"I realize that. However, I also know that Lancelot knows you're going there. Otherwise he would not have intercepted the fox where he did. We have to make it look as if we are going to see her, whether the fox is with us or not. It will force Lancelot to come out and face us."

"Why?" inquired Sonic.

"Because no matter what happens, you cannot find out how to hinder Excalibur's scabbard's power. If you do, then it puts his King in severe danger. He has sworn not to let that happen. By chain of events, that means he must prevent you from seeing the Lady of the Lake."

"Alright…" mused the hedgehog, "Then where is she? I'll be there faster than you can say 'Knave the Hedgehog,' if it will get Tails back."

"I am not entirely sure. As you continue to point out, I've been in a rock for a hundred years. My memory has grown rusty."

"Was that pun really necessary?" snapped Sonic, unamused under the circumstances.

"What?"

The hedgehog sighed, grabbed Caliburn's hilt, and continued his run down the path; this time the correct one. "It doesn't matter. Wherever it is, I'm sure we'll find it if I just keep running." As Sonic was forced to slow his running speed, he began to notice his surroundings a little more. The sky, which had been a bright blue while at Camelot, was now darkening with ominous grey clouds that appeared to be full of water. Sonic found himself in a valley, and the mountains on either side of him forced the trees to thin. More and more villagers appeared as he continued his run, which could only mean he was nearing one of the forest towns Caliburn had told him of.

Constantly being forced to dodge innocent townspeople was beginning to drive Sonic crazy. After about the twenty-fifth one seemed to purposely get in his way, he came to a dead halt and shoved Caliburn's tip to their nose. The villager froze, knowing he was in a perfect position to suddenly have a blade through their head. "Alright, that's _it!_ I try to be understanding, y'know. _But you keep leaping in front of me! _What, for the love of Chaos, is that all about?!"

The townsperson stuttered for a bit, muttering nonsense in hopes that Caliburn's blade would be removed from his face. This act of cowardice only tipped Sonic's precarious temper over, and the hedgehog swore he would kill one of them in a few minutes, but Caliburn quickly protested: "_Sonic!"_ he barked, scaring the villager and making even Sonic jump. "You're the one not wanting to waste time!"

"Oh, you've been watching! You _see _them leap in my way?!" exclaimed Sonic, removing Caliburn from the townsperson in order to glare at the sword.

"Yes, but they're merely scared. You are not exactly what we would call 'normal.'"

"And you are?"

"Did I say anything of the sort?" snapped Caliburn.

"No," muttered Sonic.

"I didn't think so. Now, we're almost out of the village, so calm down and get moving." Sonic obeyed, more out of lack of options now that his "scapegoat" had left. He reached the final house when three knights stepped out and barred his way. Pleased to finally have something to take his fury out on, Sonic curled into a spin dash and cut through the armor of all three. As their smoke dissipated, Sonic landed on an empty wagon, scaring the horse attached to it. The sudden load kicked the horse into a run, and it bolted down the path leading back to the Deep Woods. Sonic could only laugh at the feeble shouts of protest of the horse and wagon's owner fading in the distance.

"This could be helpful," chuckled Sonic. "People won't dash in the way of a charging horse, I bet."

Caliburn was relieved to find the violence had soothed Sonic's temper, at least temporarily. This was, of course, if his sudden good-humor was anything to judge by. "Yes. I suppose a wagon ride would not be bad. If you had not stolen it."

"I didn't 'steal' it, per say. I was caught in a runaway wagon."

"Whatever you say-- _watch out!_"

Sonic glanced over his shoulder, swinging Caliburn just in time to slice a demon in half, sending it tumbling back to the ground. The four-legged beast looked something like a frog crossbred with a cricket, as it possessed leaping skills and legs that rivaled both species. More of the demons appeared, armored like the knights but lacking in the intelligence department. They would charge the runaway cart, staying out of reach of Caliburn's long blade. However, when one had the courage, it would leap up and put Sonic in a position to attack it.

The hedgehog hated having to fight that way, as it reminded him far too painfully of the way he himself was wounded. Watching the demons fall prey to Caliburn's sharp edge only showed him how close he came to a very quick and gory end by Deathcalibur. He had killed five of the demons by the time the wagon was anywhere near the Deep Woods again. Just before they entered, though, Sonic felt a drop of water land on his muzzle. He shook his head and glanced up to see the heavens were opening. The first of what Sonic was sure would be an unpleasant storm was beginning to fall. He was pretty sure he was supposed to avoid trees during a thunderstorm. However, the pursuing demons and terrified horse made leaping away from the forest physically impossible. The thought of Tails in the same forest with an immortal knight made it doubly impossible to abort his mission.

Sonic sighed as the rain reaching the forest floor became sparse, only hitting him when they ran under a gap in the trees. Demons continued to attack, but Sonic had learned their attack methods did not vary, and killed them by instinct and rhythm. His cool persona faltered, however, when the horse veered to the left; down a path far less worn than the one they were following previously. "H-hey!" yelped Sonic, glancing worriedly in the direction they were taking.

"It's alright," stated Caliburn, his tone a little mocking at Sonic's uneasiness. "We're following a road."

"Is it the right one, though?" asked Sonic tentatively, as if afraid to know the answer.

"I suppose we'll find out."

Sonic still had his eye on the demons pursuing them from the road, when suddenly one landed directly on top of him. Its long claws scraped across his flesh, causing him to yelp as he tried to shove the demon off. Luckily, the claws were not serrated, nor were they excessively sharp, so the wounds bled only slightly and would heal quickly. At least, if Sonic could defeat this demon before others followed. With a determined cry, Sonic stabbed Caliburn through the chest of the demonic animal, and it fell off the wagon. Its dying shrieks echoed in Sonic's ears long after the sound had stopped.

He glanced up to see why he had been ambushed: the demons were following from the trees, waiting for a chance to leap down. They were on both sides of the path, ensuring Sonic would not be able to evade them. For whatever reason, they chose to attack in pairs. While it looked at first as if Sonic was in a difficult fighting position, he soon found Caliburn's sharpened edge cut easily through two demons at a time without slowing down.

Then the wood under Sonic's feet disappeared, and he realized the horse had leapt over a small cliff. While he was attacking, the horse had simply jerked the wagon away, crashing it into millions of pieces as it raced off. Sonic landed in a crouch, tense as he held Caliburn at the ready. The horse took off down a new path, and Sonic merely watched it go, envious of its freedom. Sonic glanced around, curious as to their new location. "It looks like we've run straight into the forest. Is this the right way?"

"Yes. The lake is said to lie in the remote part of the forest," assured Caliburn. "I'm sure Lancelot will intercept us before then." Sonic nodded and took off, immediately confronted by three knights bearing battle axes. Reaching for the power in the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic slowed time and cut skillfully through the three of them, easily avoiding their weapons as he twisted around them in the space-time continuum.

Once he had cleared the path, he bolted forward fearlessly. Luckily for Caliburn, the activity had made Sonic's tense fury calm a little, allowing him to direct the hedgehog more than before. It was clear the supersonic hero enjoyed the empty pathway, as he sped up only because he wanted to feel the wind blowing through his quills. Caliburn had to admit, he had learned to enjoy the sensation as well. Speed was something he normally only felt while his bearer was on horseback, but now he was constantly thrown into situations where he was flying forward at insane rates. It was when the motion stopped that Caliburn paid attention to their surroundings.

"What is it?"

"Th-that! It's… it's _huge!_" exclaimed Sonic, pointing at a gnarled tree root. It was definitely not like most. It was thicker than any other tree in the forest, and the trunk it connected to was large enough to house the hotel on Emerald Coast. Caliburn smirked at Sonic, who was gawking at the incredible size of the tree.

"Indeed. It's a sacred tree, and protects the forest."

Sonic immediately grew mocking and suspicious. "Oh, yeah? How so?"

"Nimue has placed an enchantment upon it. That is why it has grown so large, knave. It is most definitely not natural."

"Ah. Everything here's got magic in it, doesn't it?" Sonic did not wait for a reply and shot forward under the roots, which continued to form arches that looped all around the tree. He had not gotten far when a large, ragged stone swung directly in front of him, suspended from a root by a vine tied around it. Running too fast to stop, Sonic crouched and leapt over it, cringing as he scraped his foot on the edge. He landed to see the pendulum-like stones continued down the path. With an immature eye roll any teen would be proud of, he shot forward, dodging left and right with the rhythm of the swings. When he leapt up to avoid another stone, he barely managed to avoid a hornet's nest as big as he was.

With a yelp, Sonic put on a burst of speed in order to outrun the angered insects. While running from his miniscule pursuers, he also had to maneuver around the spiked rocks. Luckily, the stones kept to a steady rhythm and made avoiding impact easy. After a few more minutes spent under the roots of the Sacred Tree, Sonic burst out of the sheltering tunnel and into the rainy woods beyond. The second he was away from the protective tree, Knights of the Underworld appeared to stop him.

Sonic released a heartfelt battle cry and began swinging Caliburn wildly, slicing through the armor of at least five demons with ferocious skill. A few cowering villagers fled back to the town in front of them, trying to avoid being seen with Sonic and perhaps accused of assisting him. Sonic snickered. "Anyone living around here must be a little strange, don'tcha think, Caliburn?"

"No stranger than you, knave."

"You really can't come up with your own insults, can you?" Sonic purposely ignored whatever Caliburn had to say next, entering through the now unguarded gate to the town. Even when houses, barns and innocent villagers crowded both sides of the path, it did not stop the knights from attacking. Sonic was forced to keep his slashes with Caliburn short and condensed in order to avoid killing villagers or collapsing a building by hitting a weak wall.

He wove his way through the village, hoping to run fast enough to avoid more confrontations. His methods worked briefly, but more knights than usual appeared to stop him as he tried to rush his exodus from the town. "Speed is not your ally this time, fool! Use logic and skill!" snapped Caliburn.

Sonic growled softly, but instead of barking back an insult, took out his anger on the soldiers before him. Villagers who witnessed his attacks screamed and ran to their homes, confusing Sonic beyond compare. "Wow. I didn't realize it would be so… distant, being a convict."

"Get used to it, knave. After all, as long as you assist Merlina, your head will be the most sought-after thing in Britain."

"Eh, I think it already is."

"Look there!" called Caliburn, jerking Sonic back to the situation at hand. "Follow that path out of the village. The sooner we are found heading towards Nimue, the sooner Lancelot will show himself. We can only do that if we get out of here."

Sonic gave a grim nod and took off through a flock of roosters and chickens, who protested their interrupted meal with indignant squawks. Immediately after he stepped foot on the path out, a line of soldiers appeared, glaring at him angrily as they charged. Sonic was not daunted, and leapt skywards before launching into a spin dash. His momentum allowed him to cut through all of the soldiers in one attack, leaving him standing somewhat dizzily on the other side of the path. "I really shouldn't do that for too long. Holding you messes up my balance, dull-blade."

At first, Caliburn was going to snap back with an insult, but he realized it would once again involve twisting Sonic's, so he stopped himself. After all, being accused of lack of creativity was something he would rather avoid. "You just need more practice. I'm sure you can learn how to wield me without getting nauseous."

"Who said anything about feeling nauseous?" snapped Sonic.

"Forget it, just keep going. The daylight is fading."

A brief glance to the sky, revealed Caliburn was correct. It was already dark with clouds, but had now grown even darker. Realizing Tails could have to stay the night with the enemy, should he prove too slow, shot new adrenaline through Sonic's blood, and he raced forward, dashing over the bridge that led out of the town and back to Deep Woods. "Up ahead?" asked Sonic, eager to find Lancelot and, through chain of events, Tails.

Caliburn glanced forward. "Yes, that's right. You should be able to see the lake soon. Expect Lancelot at any moment now."

The path Sonic was following was bordered by trees molded into an arch, this time with dark purple trunks covered in intricate, sky-blue designs. These held similar spiked rocks to those protecting the roots of the Sacred Tree, but the forestry supporting these was definitely not sacred. They emanated an evil similar to that of the Knights of the Underworld, but for some reason felt darker than even that. Sonic shivered, but rushed through the arch without questioning. After all, who was he to say King Arthur could not be darker than his knights?

Trees began to become scarce as a clearing formed. Sonic's heart leapt with joy at the sight of a lake not far ahead of him, easily accessible if he sped up. Yet a sinking feeling came with the realization that Tails was nowhere in sight. He did not have time to think more, as he was suddenly knocked to the ground. The amount of force behind the blow was obvious when Sonic struggled to push himself to his feet after being flung all the way across the clearing. Luckily, Caliburn's constant training had allowed him to keep a firm grip on the sword throughout the ordeal. The voice of his enemy rang through his head: "I have found you, apprentice knight: enemy of my king!"

Just as he regained his footing, Sonic glared at his enemy, his vision swimming. "Who the heck are you?" As his ability to see began to reassert itself, he saw an ebony and crimson hedgehog, turned away from him, standing on the opposite end of the clearing. Needless to say, he was shocked. _Those quills… that color… oh, Chaos, no! _"Shadow?" he murmured.

Yet even though the hedgehog appeared to be Shadow, at least in every physical aspect, Sonic noted some considerable differences. A helmet curved carefully around his top quill, colored red where it covered his actual crimson stripe. It protected his eyes, which Sonic assumed were ruby red. While he still had gloves with gold power bracelets, the gloves were more like gauntlets, similar to the one Sonic had on his right hand. He wore a chest plate, but it did not cover his backspines, just as the helmet did not cover all his quills. The shoes he wore were of the same material as his gloves, and also imitated the real Shadow's clothing.

The hedgehog gave him an odd look. "I am Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table." Sonic tensed visibly at the name. While Lancelot assumed it was from fear, Caliburn could tell by the tightened grip on his hilt it was barely-contained fury. The knight smirked, jerking his sword out of the ground behind him and swinging it forward. It was anything but similar to Caliburn. It was curved like a scimitar, but the blade was thick and far too heavy to be classified as one. A gold edge, similar to Deathcalibur's, rose from the top and guarded its bearer's hand. On both sides was etched an amber symbol, resembling an infinity sign, but with far more detail in the inscription. "I challenge you to a duel!"

_Some things never change. _Sonic held back the remark, instead jumping to the topic of conversation he had been working towards: "Not until you tell me where Tails is!" he shouted, swinging Caliburn in front of him.

Lancelot smirked. "The fox?"

"_Yes!_" barked Sonic, trembling with fury and hatred. The dark hedgehog flicked his hand, and an Underworld knight appeared, carrying an unconscious Tails. "What did you do to him?!" Sonic nearly lunged at the King's knight then and there, but his concern for Tails held him back.

"He's fine, if that's what you're wondering. It a simple drug that will render him excessively sleepy for the next few hours. Now, our duel. What shall it be? Will you abandon your sword and flee?"

While Sonic wanted to dump Caliburn, grab Tails, and run for the nearest escape back to Station Square, he was not given the choice. Just as he started to agree to Lancelot's terms, Caliburn interrupted: "Fool! A knight _never _flees a foe!"

Lancelot glared at the two, obviously unamused at the delay. "May I have your name, apprentice knight?"

"He is Knave the Hedgehog, and he accepts your challenge!" barked Caliburn.

"Hey! Wait just a second here!" snapped Sonic, glaring at the sword. "I--"

"Very well, then," interrupted Lancelot, sick of the waiting. "_Knave_ the Hedgehog. Now we shall see what you can do!"

He lunged for Sonic, his sword gripped tightly in his hands. Sonic immediately swung Caliburn to the front, using the flat of the blade to prevent Lancelot's sword from reaching him. Tired from his over-exertion before, he barely managed to push back the sword and swing Caliburn for a counter-attack. Lancelot was far too fast to be hit by such a slow attack, and managed to leap over Sonic and deliver a blow from behind, as he did when they first crossed paths.

Sonic rolled to the side as fast as he could, wincing when he saw Lancelot's blade buried in the ground, not centimeters from his head. He kicked the knight back, leaping to his feet and swinging Caliburn around to slice across the hedgehog's chest plate. Of course, the armor deflected Caliburn's blow easily, although it did temporarily knock the breath out of the knight. "Hmph!" snorted Lancelot. "You'll have to do better than _that _to defeat me!"

"I hope so!" barked Sonic, leaping backwards as he dodged Lancelot's counter attack. "I don't plan on losing. You got that?" Sonic leapt over Lancelot's head, managing to cut across his quills, but nothing more. As it was, the quills were far too strong to bleed, and Lancelot laughed darkly.

"Knave the Hedgehog, eh? A fitting name, I'd say."

Caliburn chirped in for the first time: "I agree completely!"

"Hey!" snapped Sonic. "Who's side are you on, anyway?!" While he whirled around, he was not quite fast enough to deter Lancelot's attack, which was a very similar offense to Sonic's spin-dash with Caliburn.

While he did manage to knock the sword away, Lancelot's momentum was too much for him to avoid a collision. The two tumbled across the clearing, but while Lancelot was dazed, Sonic bolted back to the other side and snatched up the dark knight's sword. Lancelot glared as Sonic stood over him, Caliburn at the ready. It would not take more than a simple flick of his arm to kill the knight where he lay, and Lancelot knew it. He was beaten. "You are more powerful than I thought… I was far too careless."

Sonic glared at Lancelot, knowing the knight expected to die. He snorted. "Then be more careful." Taking both swords and whirling around, Sonic walked over to Tails, gently forcing him awake.

"N-no… leave m-me alone," the fox whimpered, cowering against the touch.

"Tails, it's me! Sonic! You have to wake up now, okay?"

The sapphire orbs slowly opened and looked up at Sonic, they were confused and glazed, but realization slowly dawned in them. "Sonic! Y-you're here!"

"Yeah, bro. Now let's get away from this place," he urged, glancing nervously at the recovering Lancelot. Tails nodded, and with a little assistance from Sonic, the two were headed to see the Lady of the Lake, leaving the battle behind them.

* * *

I've been thinking, and the current rating for this story is K+. If you review this chapter, please tell me if you think I should up it to T. I'm not sure if the violence warrants it or not. Thanks!

~Wolf~


	6. Nimue, the Lady of the Lake

"So… he was one of the Knights of the Round Table?" yawned Tails, trying to keep up with Sonic, too tired to do so efficiently. The hedgehog had slowed his speed considerably, to the point of walking, and Caliburn hovered alongside them. Nimue's residence was only a mile away, and it should have been simple to get there, but Sonic's aggravated torso, as well as the leftover effects of Tails' drug, made it difficult to obtain any sort of speed or efficiency in travel. Sonic just shrugged at Tails' question.

"Pfft, he was too easy. I'm sure he wasn't a real Knight of--"

"He was indeed, fool!" barked Caliburn. "He was the mightiest of all, and the closest to King Arthur."

"Mighty?" scoffed Sonic. "Then how come I beat his butt, then, huh?"

"It was mere _luck_ that enabled you to defeat him," growled Caliburn. In reality, he was quite proud of Sonic's accomplishment, but the hedgehog's cocky demeanor and refusal to act with humility persuaded him to mask it. If this knave was meant to defeat King Arthur, he had some serious lessons to learn.

Sonic rolled his eyes and looked away, his patience waning. "If you say so," he muttered, obviously not believing the sword completely.

There was a small span of silence, then Caliburn broke it: "I sensed a great weakness when you were fighting Sir Lancelot." Cobalt fur rose as the firm muscle beneath it tensed. Caliburn noticed Sonic's uneasiness, but continued nonetheless. "So why did you not deal him the final blow?"

A short sigh was heard, then Sonic turned to face Caliburn again, his emerald eyes hiding any emotion. "No reason," he muttered.

"Such sympathy is an _insult _to a knight!" the sword exclaimed, glaring at his pupil menacingly.

Sonic looked a little bothered by Caliburn's critique, which surprised the sword. So far, every time he had pointed out a flaw in the hedgehog's swordsmanship or snapped at him for not holding him tight enough, he was hit with a sharp retort denying the claim. This time, Sonic made no motion to deny it nor explain himself. It was a subject he would have to broach later, perhaps with the fox's support. After a moment of silent thought, Sonic finally replied: "What's the big deal, anyway? I got this, didn't I?"

His chipper mood returning, Sonic waved the large, curved sword skillfully. Tails ducked as it swung in front of him. "Careful!" he yelped, smoothing his chest fur nervously.

"That is Arondight," explained Caliburn. "One of the Sacred Swords of this land."

"So you aren't the only one!" laughed Sonic. "The way you boast about it, I would've thought you were!"

Caliburn glared at the hedgehog. "Hardly, fool. Each of the Knights of the Round Table bears a Sacred Sword. Arondight is the one you have now. Make sure you take good care of it."

Tails brightened, having been listening the entire time. "Don't worry!" he chirped. "I'll take great care of it! I wanna show Crevan I can do the same thing he does!"

He was flashed a bright smile from Sonic, but Caliburn spoke before the hedgehog could say anything. "We're here." The fox broke his gaze from Arondight to look at the scene before him. They were at a small lake in the center of the Deep Woods, the moonlight reflecting almost perfectly off the crystalline surface. A stone gazebo was placed in the center of the lake, with a wooden boardwalk leading over the water to reach it. Three arches with precious blue stones absorbed the moonlight and lit the way to the home. With five stones on either side of the pathway between the arches, there was no way to lose sight of it. Tails gawked at the sight, wondering how such a basic sapphire could manipulate the light and cast it so much brighter than its source.

A gentle nudge from Sonic reminded the fox to move, and the brothers began the long walk from the shore of the lake to the gazebo in the center. It was far more uncomfortable for Sonic than Tails or Caliburn, mainly due to his inability to swim and dislike of being surrounded by water. In fact, the entire premise of a "Lady of the Lake" seemed null. After all, if you were going to have a pretty girl, why taint her image by forcing her to live in the water? Despite that fact, the serenity of the safe haven calmed Sonic's nerves, and even the pain from the slash across his torso seemed to lose some of its bite.

As they approached the gazebo itself, Sonic noted the silhouette forming in front of it. It looked familiar, but when the image came into focus, there could be no doubt. Before him stood a lithe, cerise, female hedgehog with sparkling jade eyes and short, styled quills. Yet instead of the maroon and white outfit her doppelganger wore, this hedgehog was dressed in a cerulean gown with a hoop skirt, and a turquoise cloak was worn over it. Silver lace decorated the cloak and golden lace donned the cerulean gown. Just like Amy, though, she wore a hairpiece. Hers was the same shade of blue as her gown, and was decorated with the same gold color. Sonic could only gawk.

"I've been waiting for you, Knight from another World, and you as well, Kitsune," she murmured. Her voice was soft, but exactly like Amy's.

Sonic was about to speak, when the memory of him promising a cerise hedgehog that he would go on a date suddenly flooded his thoughts. He was _supposed _to have gone last night. With a yelp instead of a greeting, he jumped back, expecting this version of Amy to pull out a hammer and pummel him for forgetting. Just as he was about to bolt off in the other direction, Caliburn stopped him. "_Fool!_ Where are you going?!"

"Aheh… away." muttered Sonic, trying to edge past Caliburn before a hammer made contact with his skull. "That's--"

"You are being _rude _to the Lady of the Lake!" barked the sword. "Bow your head!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic saw Tails bowed, touching his nose respectfully, but smirking just the same. Sonic glanced at Nimue, who he was still worried would kill him, then at Caliburn. He would never live this down. Still, he yielded to Caliburn's order and adopted the same position as his brother. Nimue smiled softly. "I think I know why you're here. It's about Excalibur, isn't it?"

Sonic leapt out of the humble position and put his arm around the Lady's shoulder. She leaned back a little, eying Sonic warily, but still managing a small smile, making the situation more awkward and hilarious for Tails. "Yeah, that's right! You sure don't waste any time, lady!" chirped Sonic, winking cheekily.

"Show some respect!" hissed Caliburn. Sonic blushed, glared at Caliburn, but backed away nonetheless. In his book, that _was_ respect. Whatever Caliburn was expecting was _way _too chivalrous.

"It's alright," assured Nimue. "Come in, I have some herbal tea that will do wonders for your stamina. I also believe I'll be able to do something about your wound." Sonic, Tails and Caliburn followed her into the gazebo, which was small but cozy. The walls were painted to look like the lake outside, and a stone ledge served as seating all the way around the structure. A table stood in the middle, already set with steaming tea and cups.

Sonic sat beside Nimue, with Tails on her other side and Caliburn watching from the opposite side of the gazebo. The Lady handed a cup and saucer to Tails, but did not bother offering any to Caliburn. Before she gave Sonic his, she passed a careful hand over the bandaged wound. "Do you mind?" she asked.

After Sonic shook his head, she cautiously unwrapped his torso, which was uncomfortable for the hedgehog on multiple levels. He winced as the unwound bandage finally pulled off his fur, revealing a sickly-looking wound that seemed to reveal the pain it caused with a grotesque appearance. Nimue's aquamarine eyes glanced over it sympathetically, then looked up at Sonic. "It was Deathcalibur, wasn't it?" she murmured.

"Yeah," he muttered, looking away from it.

She nodded, understanding. "You are the first victim I've seen that has survived such a wound. You are very strong to have lived through an encounter with King Arthur's blade."

"So I've been told."

"Would you like me to heal it? I'm sure it's hindering your abilities."

Sonic glanced at Nimue, then at his torso. He cringed at the sight of fresh blood oozing out of the cracked scab that had formed and broken during his travels. It looked anything but healthy. "I guess that'd be good," he replied.

With a soft smile, she gently touched the point where the slash had begun. At first, it shot a jolt of pain through the rest of Sonic's torso, as if the cut was happening all over again, but it quickly faded. Everyone in the gazebo, save Nimue, watched in awe and wonder as the wound disappeared without a scar or blemish on the cream fur. Sonic blinked in surprise, for once, speechless. Even Caliburn looked shocked.

"And that's that," murmured Nimue. "Now, I'll tell you how to hinder the scabbard's power of immortality. We are running short on time. Anyway, I'm the one who gave it to him, so it's kind of my fault, see?" She sighed and looked away, as if ashamed with herself.

Tails smiled awkwardly. "It's not your fault he chose to do what he did," he assured her.

"True. But, still…" Nimue stopped again, struggling to continue.

"Still _what_?" prodded Sonic, curious but trying to remain polite.

Nimue glanced up at Sonic, her jade eyes full of regret and sorrow. "Whoever defeats King Arthur and takes his scabbard might end up the same way, right?"

Silence reigned over the gazebo, as none of the three travelers had bothered to put that much thought into it. All they knew was King Arthur had fallen, and it was up to them to fix it. They never figured that perhaps a new King would be just as bad, if not worse than, the one they had now. "I see," stated Caliburn softly.

The Lady seemed to brighten a little. "So, I have three quests for you."

"Quests?" whimpered Tails. "I thought our quest was to get to you!"

"It was," chortled Nimue. "But now you have others. If you complete them, I will tell you how to hinder the scabbard's power of immortality. Would you like to hear your quests, now?"

"Sure, fire away!" chirped Sonic, winking.

"First, you must free the innocents from King Arthur's dungeon. Second, offer compassion to those in need. Third, defeat King Arthur's Knights of the Underworld."

All she received as a response was Tails' dropped jaw. "Wh-what?" he stuttered. "I think we can do the first two, b-but there are _hundreds_, even _thousands _of knights flooding this place! How can you expect us to defeat them?!"

"If you want to defeat King Arthur, you must. I will keep Arondight for you, so as not to hinder your progress." Nimue then stood and grasped Arondight firmly, then motioned for the three to leave. Sonic and Tails stood and exited the gazebo, Caliburn following close behind. As they left, Nimue called from the entryway: "You have three days. Good luck!"

From over their shoulders, they saw Nimue's form waver in the moonlight before fading and disappearing. Sonic blinked a couple times, as if she would reappear, but she did not. He turned and gazed at the now pitch-black forest, smirking. "I get it. She's only gonna tell that secret to a true knight. Cliché, if you ask me."

"Hardly. Are you up to the task? This will not be easy," warned Caliburn. "You've proven that to yourself already. You are lucky she agreed to heal you, since it was your own foolishness that injured you in the first place."

"Heh!" Sonic scoffed. "I'm the world's fastest hedgehog! You'll be calling me 'sir' before y'know it!"

Tails chimed in eagerly: "Yeah! Don't doubt Sonic, Caliburn. He'll prove you wrong!"

"Hmph, we'll see about that," snorted Caliburn. "Anyway, it's far too late to go traipsing about the forest tonight. We'll have to set up camp. Preferably away from the Lady's front door."

"Does that mean we'll have to go back into the Deep Woods?" asked Tails tentatively.

"Yeah, lil' bro, but at least I can move again. Don't worry about it. We'll head straight for the nearest village, mmkay? And hey, maybe I'll take out some of those Knights of the Underworld along the way, too."

Without waiting for a reply, Sonic took off into the Deep Woods, making enough racket for Tails to easily follow, even with the low visibility. The storm from earlier had caused a few of the weaker trees to fall on the path, forcing Sonic to jump over each one as it came. With his newly-healed frame, this was not a problem, and actually made Sonic eager to leap over each obstacle, since he could now do it painlessly. The noise he was making quickly caught the attention of the Knights of the Underworld, who materialized farther down the path to stop Sonic's rampage.

"Heh, looks like we've got company!" laughed Sonic, speeding up. "I'll just have to take 'em down, eh, Caliburn?"

"Since it is your fault they appeared in the first place, yes, you have to 'take them down,'" snapped the sword.

Sonic ignored the haughtiness in Caliburn's tone, instead leaping skywards before curling into a wide spindash, destroying all three Knights simultaneously. He smirked and continued his run, much faster than the run to Nimue's lake. "Sonic!" cried Tails. "We're getting close to the Sacred Tree!"

"Yes!" called Caliburn. "We will not be harmed by the Underworld Knights there." Ignoring the two's conversation, Sonic destroyed more Knights that tried to prevent him from reaching the safety of the Sacred Tree, with its magical barrier protecting it. Yet the second he was under the tree's protective roots, he was surprised to find that the Knights' assault did not stop, nor was it even hindered.

"Hey!" barked Sonic. "I thought you said they wouldn't be here!" The hedgehog hardly heard Caliburn's reply as he worked his way through a knot of the demons. He thanked Chaos that Tails had flown above the root-tunnel, instead of entering it with him.

"The magical barrier must be gone! Something very dark must have penetrated it."

"Really?" asked Sonic sarcastically.

Caliburn snorted, saying nothing as the hedgehog fought his way through the rest of the tunnel. At least a score of demons came to stop him, angrily rushing him in huge groups. The sword had to admit, Sonic had a lot of skill in his speed, in that he managed to kill all the Underworld Knights before they even had a chance to touch him. It was impressive to watch the hedgehog at work, especially when he was so determined to reach the other side.

When he emerged at the end of the tunnel, he was panting and sweat was shimmering on his cobalt fur. Tails smiled when he saw his brother, biting back laughter. "I think you're losin' your touch, Sonic!"

"I dare you to try that!" Sonic shot back, smirking.

Tails chuckled and flew ahead, Sonic staying close behind but keeping his speed low enough so that he did not pass the kitsune. In his goal to keep an eye on Tails, he did not notice the odd lumps on the ground. Instinctively, he avoided most of them while watching the fox, but he missed the last one. The shriek of rusted metal being forced into action warned him just in time, as he leapt back to keep his foot out of an old bear-trap. Just as he backed away, the trap reset, as if never triggered.

"What the--?"

"It's been cursed," explained Caliburn, answering Sonic's unfinished question. "I don't suggest stepping on any more of them."

"I don't plan on it," replied Sonic, edging around the demonic trap, then dashing forward again. A village could be seen directly ahead of him, blocked only by a few demonic knights. After easily slicing them apart, he shot into the village, only to find it just as contaminated with demons as outside. Like the village before it, the sight of the Underworld Knights, coupled with Sonic, sent all the townspeople running for their homes. Tails landed dejectedly on a rooftop.

"I guess we're not staying here, then," he muttered, shaking a raindrop of his nose. He glared at the sky, which had obviously decided to cry yet again.

"Sorry, lil' bro, but we're just not welcome," sighed Sonic, continuing to fight the demons as he ran. "Meet you at the exit of the village, alright?"

The fox flew obediently on ahead, soon met by Sonic, who looked as if he was finally tiring of the constant appearance of knights. "Will we stop soon?" whined Tails.

"Just a little more," assured Caliburn. "I know a clearing that should be protected by one of the Lady's blessings."

"That's promising," snapped Sonic. "Her best charm was ruined back there, what makes you think your place'll be any safer?"

"No one _knows _of it but me, knave. They would have no reason to penetrate the barrier."

"And how come you're so special, to get a pretty blessing?"

"_Move_, fool. We're already out of daylight, and I would prefer to be sheltered before the storm comes in full force."

Sonic relented, cutting through a bit of the Deep Woods, which bore the same odd markings as the ones right before the entrance to Nimue's lake. While Sonic simply avoided the wrecking spheres just like the others, the killer boulders were new to Tails, who yelped every time Sonic brushed by one. They ran along the edge of Nimue's lake, albeit the back of it, and killed more knights as they went. "Turn here!" barked Caliburn.

Screeching to a halt, Sonic made a sharp ninety-degree turn into a sheltered clearing. The rain had just begun to really fall, but the thick tree cover protected the cavern-like clearing. Boughs wove together all around them, forming a shelter that would most certainly do for the night. As they entered, a fire sparked to life in the pit in the center, casting light over two bedrolls at the far edge.

"Wow, dull-blade. You really got on her good side for something like this," murmured Sonic.

Tails nodded. "Yeah! It's cool. What'd you do to get it?"

"My bearer at the time completed one of her quests. We received this safe haven as a gift."

"Neat," chirped Tails.

"Uhuh. Now let's get some sleep," yawned Sonic. "We've got a big day tomorrow, saving innocents and all."

"G'night, then, Sonic."

"Night."


	7. Ring Giver

It could be said that dawn was not warmly welcomed by the two travelers. Both groaned as their muscles, sore from running arduously for so long, protested the motion required to wake up. Caliburn smirked as he watched them, he himself feeling quite ready to move on. "Hurry, knave, we have places to be!"

"I'm comin', dull-blade, give it a rest," muttered Sonic, yawning as he forced himself to his feet. He reached down and helped Tails up, who instantly yelped with surprise at the sudden motion.

"Wh-wha? Where're we goin?" asked Tails, his words slurred with drowsiness.

"Ask the lethal weapon over there," replied Sonic.

Caliburn snorted with distaste. "We will be heading towards Camelot again. That's where King Arthur's dungeon is located, and the innocents inside. I decided that is the most pressing of the quests."

"So I don't have to kill any soldiers on the way?" snickered Sonic, walking over to the blade.

"You know good and well any soldiers you see must be rid of, fool," barked Caliburn. "Now enough of this idle chatter. We must be on our way."

"What about breakfast?" inquired Tails, looking wistful.

"That will come in Camelot. We can stop at the blacksmith's."

"Crevan's place?" chirped Tails, brightening. "C'mon, Sonic! Time's a wastin'!"

The fox bolted off down the path, not waiting for Sonic at all. Caliburn was surprised that Sonic did not take off directly after his brother. "Is there a problem?" he inquired.

"Yeah. One of Nimue's quests was to show compassion to those in need. If I'm already risking my life for this place, what else am I supposed to do?" asked Sonic.

Caliburn did not reply at first. Truly, he was surprised at the severity in the hedgehog's tone. Normally when Caliburn was asked a question, it was dripping with sarcasm. This inquiry was different. Sonic was sincerely asking Caliburn for guidance, a huge step considering just the day before they had been arguing over how to properly greet a Lady. The sword shook himself out of his reverie and answered him: "Most of the townsfolk are very poor, due to a… let's just say a dysfunctional economic system. If you gave them some of the rings I know you carry with you, you would not only earn their trust, but you would complete the Lady's task as well."

Sonic glanced at the sword and nodded. "I don't want to know how you know about those, but if that works, I'll do it." Caliburn nearly yelped as he was jerked forward alongside Sonic, held firmly in the hedgehog's protected hand. Speed coupled with determination allowed them to catch up to the young kitsune within seconds. It was not long after they had left the cover of Caliburn's refuge that it began to rain.

"Does it ever stop?" complained Tails. "It's messing up my flight pattern."

"It does, kitsune," chuckled Caliburn. "But we're here in the summer, the Deep Woods' rainy season."

"Figures. More water the one time I come here," muttered Sonic. He raced forward, letting the rain smack against his fur, feeling like thousands of needles. Ignoring the sharp pain, he continued to increase his speed. Caliburn glanced up at him, confused.

"Why are you going so fast? There's no reason to press yourself so hard in this weather."

"There's a town up ahead. I figure if I hurry, I can reach them before they go out to their farms and stuff," explained Sonic, not looking at the sword as he spoke. "Tails, go on ahead, and try to explain to them that I'm not a killer, alright? I'll meet you at the gate." While Sonic slowed to a stop, Tails raced on ahead, entered the village on his own two feet instead of flying. Sonic stopped at the gate, dropping Caliburn and letting him hover on his own.

"What are you doing, fool?! You can't just stop!"

"Will you stop spazzing for a minute, please?" snapped Sonic. He reached into his backspines and pulled out a small pouch, obviously heavy and bulging with coins. "These are the pieces of currency Britain uses, right?" He pulled out one of the small gold tokens, fingering it and letting it glint in the light that filtered through the treetops and cloud cover.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, my rings are nice and useful, but only to me. They don't really work as currency where I come from, they're just a source of power. Merlina gave me this before she left, and since we seem to be able to find food well enough on our own, I'll just give this to the villagers instead. Make sense now, dull blade?"

The sword glanced at the currency, then back at Sonic. "If you think it would work better, then go forth."

Sonic smirked. "Sure. I think Tails has had enough time to convince them I'm not out to murder everyone, now."

With an expression Sonic assumed looked nonthreatening, he entered the village to see Tails, along with all the villagers, cowering as demonic soldiers threatened the fox. Sonic's grip on Caliburn tightened, and the way the hedgehog was fuming and the tensity of the hold told the sword just what he planned on doing. Caliburn knew there was no hope in talking the azure hero out of it, so he simply went with a warning: "Mind that you take no damage. We still have to rescue the innocents from Camelot."

The hedgehog snorted. "Remember who you're talkin' to."

"The one who nearly got themselves killed by King Arthur's blade?"

"Shut up, dull blade." Sonic backed up and raced forward, curling into a spin dash and carefully avoiding Tails and the villagers while slicing through the demons. Wind whisked past his quills as his lithe form cut through the air, blocking out any sound but the rush of the current. He uncurled just before he hit the ground, landing smoothly on his feet in front of the group of villagers. Within seconds from his landing, he was embraced by a familiar kitsune, who seemed determined to never let his brother go.

"Tails, buddy, I need my ribs," chortled Sonic, gently pushing the fox off of him. "Why didn't you call for me? I was right outside the gate!"

"They… they said they already had you!" stuttered Tails. "And they said if I didn't tell them where Merlina was, they would kill you." "You don't know where Merlina is!" cried Sonic. "Neither do I! She's in hiding!"

"I know, but… but I was worried!" sniffed Tails. "I really thought they'd intercepted you."

"Tails, even if they did have me, you don't have to worry about it, alright? You do whatever it takes to save yourself, no matter what happens to me. We've been over this."

"Yeah," murmured Tails, laying his ears back as the rain fell harder. Sonic smiled softly, the water dripping off his muzzle.

"I love ya, lil' bro. Now let's get going, alright?"

"Ahem," coughed Caliburn. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

A few of the villagers jumped at Caliburn's voice, but Sonic just brightened. "Oh, yeah! Hey, you, c'mere."

"M-me, Sir Knight?" stuttered a villager, pointing at themselves.

"He's no kni--"

"Drop it, dull blade," interrupted Sonic. "Yeah, you. Take this." Sonic handed them twenty tokens, which immediately resulted in him being surrounded by eager others asking for help. Sonic gave each villager that had been captured with Tails twenty coins, and his stash was almost completely diminished by the time he was done. He was just ready to move on when a fresh wave of demons ran towards them, all coming from the opposite entrance to the village.

"Tails, fly ahead! Don't land for _anything! _I'll kill them on my way out!" cried Sonic, pointing the fox in the right direction. Tails nodded and took off, and Sonic bolted down the same path, charging the demons with a speed unchallenged by any other. Caliburn could not help but smile as the eager hedgehog swung the sword left and right with amazing precision, cutting each demon through without harming anything belonging to the townsfolk. While his breathing was raspy and harsh with the effort of swinging Caliburn so steadily to fight the many knights, his determination was not to be questioned.

Just as he landed on the other side of the village, one last knight, bearing an axe, swung his weapon directly at Sonic's chest. Even with his speedy reflexes, the miss was so close that even Caliburn knew that a single millisecond later, and the hedgehog would have been brutally injured. However, Sonic was one you either killed the first time around, or you lost. The knight who had come close was incapacitated within seconds, dissipating in a black purple smoke. Sonic was stopped by one more villager, who had heard of his acts of kindness and wanted "in" on the deal. Sonic smirked, gave them his last twenty coins, then met Tails on the other side of the village gate.

After giving Tails a quick thumbs-up of approval, they bolted down the forest path and back into the Deep Woods. "We should reach Camelot by noon if we hurry," stated Caliburn. "You've certainly done your fair share of 'compassion' for the day, now we must rescue the innocents in the dungeon."

"Whatever you say, dull blade!" Sonic chirped, racing through a new group of soldiers. He had to admit, their constant appearances were somewhat annoying, but they forced him to work with Caliburn and his own abilities simultaneously. According to him, he was not doing too bad. Of course, Caliburn had much higher standards.

"Make sure you don't lose your grip on me," he warned.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Really?! You've said the same thing to me before! I'm _not _going to drop you!"

"Just a precaution," muttered Caliburn. "You're moving awfully fast."

"Yeah, well get used to it!" laughed Sonic, speeding up his attacks on the approaching soldiers. There was a break in the seemingly constant waves of demons, and Sonic tried to hurry up to the next group he saw, when Tails' cry of surprise rang through his ears. He screeched to a halt and turned to see Tails caught in a wooden cage, after having landed to rest his namesakes. Sonic glanced over his shoulder, noting that the soldiers had seen him and were now charging to claim their captive. He had to hurry and get Tails out of the cage before then. "Tails! Get back!" The fox obeyed, confused though he was by the command. The second he saw the glint of metal coming towards him, however, he understood. Caliburn's edge was slammed into the wooden bars, cutting a few out but not enough for Tails to escape. The soldiers were getting closer.

Sonic turned his attention back to the cage, swinging Caliburn again. The opening was wider, but still not enough for Tails to escape. The soldiers were practically on top of them. "Sonic, run!" cried Tails, watching in horror as the nearest soldier raised his axe.

"Not yet!" snarled Sonic, swinging Caliburn yet again, the opening was a lot wider, but Tails could hardly squeeze through while soldiers were pressing down on them.

"Sonic, look out!" yelped the fox, wincing as the axe came down centimeters from where Sonic had last stood. The hedgehog let out a yell of fury before hacking through the group of soldiers, allowing Tails to wiggle his way out of the cage while he did so. He landed on the ground, panting and trying to breathe something that was not noxious fumes from the fading demons. "Wh-why didn't you get out of the way?" whispered Tails as he approached Sonic. "They could've killed you!"

Sonic chuckled. "Could have, but didn't, lil' bro. Don't worry about me, alright? Golly, you're worse than Ames!"

"Still, you should not be careless, knave."

"A knight never flees his foe, right?" asked Sonic testily. "Don't back out on your own words, now, dull blade."

Caliburn huffed, but did not emphasize on his statement. He was pretty sure anything he said would be twisted by the hedgehog, anyway. "Camelot's just outside these trees. We need to reach the young blacksmith's household soon, if you want to have something to eat before infiltrating King Arthur's keep."

"Don't worry 'bout it, Caliburn. I've got this 'rush rush rush' deal under control," Sonic snickered. He took off out of the forest, approaching the familiar castle with alarming speed.

"H-hold on, there!" stuttered Caliburn, still uneasy at being jerked into action so quickly. "The kitsune's still behind us."

"Hardly," snorted Sonic, motioning upwards. Above was Tails, flying loyally above them and smiling. "I always stay slow enough for Tails to keep up, dull blade! You haven't even broken the sound barrier yet!"

If swords could shudder, Caliburn would have. "I don't believe I want that experience."

"Aw, Caliburn! If you haven't gone faster than Mach One, you haven't lived!" exclaimed Tails, grinning broadly as he backed his brother.

"Exactly," confirmed Sonic with a wink.

"How on earth does the kitsune know how to… break the sound barrier? He can't run like you, can he?"

"Of course not!" laughed Tails. "Whatever gave you that idea? Nah, Sonic's carried me a couple times, and I have a supersonic plane called the X Tornado at home."

"A… plane?" inquired Caliburn.

"Yeah, it-… oh. You don't know what a plane is, do you?"

"Alas, I do not, young kitsune."

"Nevermind, then," sighed Tails dejectedly.

"Eh, don't worry about it, bro. You can tell Caliburn all about the X Tornado when we get to Crevan's place. I'm sure he'd love to hear all about the new additions you put on right before we left!"

The look Caliburn gave Sonic could have killed, but he did not protest, since Tails seemed so happy to have a captive audience about his plane. They soon entered the town of Camelot, racing down alleyways and tremendous speeds and blowing the poor townsfolk down. "You might want to slow down a tad, fool," growled Caliburn.

Sonic looked annoyed, but reduced his speed nonetheless. "I don't know what you're worried about, dull blade."

"The fact that at least a score of people were thrown into the wall back there might have something to do with it," snapped the sword.

"Oooh, sarcasm!" chirped Sonic. "We _are_ getting somewhere with you!"

They ran deeper into the city, Sonic using Tails' guidance to find Crevan's house and workshop. The hedgehog soon came across the bridge that crossed Lake Avalon. It was covered in cowering, crying townspeople and cruel-looking, demonic guards. "They just never stop, do they?" sighed Tails, watching as Sonic sliced through them with ease.

"Doesn't look that way," replied Sonic nonchalantly, giving a power ring to a villager who had gotten nicked by Caliburn's tip. "It'll heal you," he whispered, winking and taking off down the bridge again. He continued to knock down demon after demon, until he reached the market on the other side of the bridge. He looked longingly at the fruit available, and suddenly regretted giving all the coins he had to the townspeople in the Deep Woods. Lack of breakfast was beginning to catch up with him. Caliburn seemed to read his mind.

"That villager there looks a little ill," he commented. "I'm sure you could barter one of your rings for an apple or two."

Sonic nodded, and signaled for Tails to land next to him. The fox did so, and they approached an elderly villager who could hardly stop sneezing to talk to them. "C-can I h-help you?" he stuttered, sniffling.

"I have a ring that could heal your cold, and I'll give it to you for some of your apples," stated Sonic, cutting to the chase due to his complaining stomach.

The man looked doubtful. "I've had this c-cold for two years, now, ye l-little urchin. Wh-what do you think your demon r-ring will do for me?"

"You want proof?" asked Sonic.

"Yes."

"Then I'll give you proof." Sonic grabbed Caliburn and sliced the tip of the sword across his left wrist, allowing crimson blood to seep through his cream arm fur and drip onto the stone road below. Tails and the villager both winced, and Sonic could tell Caliburn was not happy with drawing his own bearer's lifeblood. He then grabbed one of the many power rings he carried with him, holding it in his left hand. It was obvious to him that it was not as efficient as a Chaos Emerald's healing properties, since it took twice as long for the healing process to work and it was not painless like the Emerald, but it did indeed sew up the cut.

Sonic wiped the blood off and looked at the fruit salesman. "Well?"

The man looked absolutely shocked. "What k-kind of magic is th-that?! Are y-you one of the King's g-guards? Only they use m-magic like that."

"Hardly," sniffed Sonic. "But, hey, if you don't want it, I'm sure I can trade with someone else." He began to walk off, but he felt a feeble hand snatch his arm.

"H-hold on, there… How many apples d'you w-want?"

"Four. Two for me, and two for the fox," replied Sonic, leaning on Caliburn. Four apples were practically shoved into his arms, and Sonic gave the villager a power ring. He smiled. "Nice doing business with ya."

The three continued on their way, munching happily on the fruit they had traded for, and listening to the cheers of a healed man. Caliburn glared up at Sonic as they walked on, enjoying the scenery of a busy marketplace. "You should not have used me to prove your ring's usability," he growled. "You could have proven it to him without drawing blood."

"Yeah, it was a spur of the moment thing," agreed Sonic, shrugging. He rubbed his wrist where Caliburn had cut him. "But it's not a problem. The ring did just what it was supposed to do."

"I do not want to draw your blood ever again, fool. That was not my purpose."

"Fine. I don't exactly _want _to, you know," barked Sonic, glowering at the sword in his hand.

"Good."

They were silent the rest of the way to Crevan's home and smithy, when Tails knocked enthusiastically on the door, gazing up at the sign with its twin tail logo. From the other side they heard a strained "Come in!"

When they opened to door, they saw a very tired kitsune, but he immediately brightened at the sight of who had come. His voice, complete with a thick British accent, was high-pitched with joy. "Miles! Sonic! Wh-what are you doing here? I thought you went into the Deep Woods!"

"Hi, Crevan!" chirped Tails. "We did, and we met the Lady of the Lake, but she gave us three quests. One of them sent us back here."

Crevan grinned. "Well, I'm glad you could come back. Any trouble getting through the market? There are wanted posters all over the place!"

"We didn't see any," replied Tails. "But no one tried to stop us, either."

"That's odd," murmured the blacksmith. "I could've sworn… oh! You know what, most of the villagers took them down."

"Why?" inquired Caliburn.

"Well, word of your heroics and the slaying of the King's guards has spread. Almost everyone in Camelot respects you! Unless you were seen by one loyal to the King, you wouldn't have had any problems. Thank goodness."

"Yeah," chuckled Sonic.

"Where do you have to go in Camelot? Will you be staying?"

"We have to rescue the innocents in King Arthurs dungeon," replied Sonic.

Crevan's eyes widened. "You really plan on doing that?"

"We don't really have a choice," muttered Tails.

"No, I guess you don't. But the dungeon is rumored to be built alongside the underground water drainage pathway. No one sees it who isn't imprisoned."

"W-water?" stuttered Sonic. "All along the water? How deep is it?"

Crevan looked confused. "How should I know? It's part of the river that cuts through Camelot to reach Lake Avalon. I've never seen it."

"Great," muttered Sonic. Frustrated, he handed Caliburn to Crevan, along with his hand gauntlet. "Can you fix these up while I'm here? I can't really pay you--"

"Don't worry about pay," replied Crevan cheerily. "You're the only one who's ever stood up to King Arthur. That's payment enough."

"Yeah… If I make it." Sonic left the two kitsunes and Caliburn in the workshop, leaving to go into Crevan's house in the back.

"What's wrong with him?" inquired Crevan. "He didn't seem that touchy last time. And how'd he heal so fast?"

Tails sighed. "Well, the last question's easier: the Lady healed him. As for being touchy…"

"Yes?" pressed Crevan.

"You said the only way to reach the dungeons was the underground water drainage pathways, right?"

"Yes. If you find it, it shouldn't be a problem to get to the dungeons. Relatively simple, for one who defeated King Arthur once. What angered him, though?"

"Sonic… well… Sonic can't swim. He won't admit it to your face, but he's scared of water. This could very well be an obstacle he can't overcome."

"You mean…?" murmured Crevan.

"Yes. If Sonic can't get into the dungeons, King Arthur will rule forever."

* * *

Omigosh, I updated! Sorry for the long wait, guys. These are NOT easy to churn out. They take forever to write. _ Thanks for sticking with me, though!

~Wolf~


	8. Almost to the Deadline

Tails peeked into the back room of Crevan's house, trying to see what Sonic was doing before interrupting him. The hedgehog was sitting on the windowsill looking out over the Titanic Plain, a beautiful meadow with hardly anything blocking the path through. It was dotted with white flowers and an old ruin far out in the distance, barely visible from their current vantage point. The sun setting over the horizon cast the entire plain in a fiery orange glow, making it look all the more warm and inviting. Sonic's wistful look told Tails all he needed to know: Sonic wanted to run, and the Titanic Plain was the best place to do it; conveniently in the opposite direction of their current destination. The kitsune sighed, shutting the door and walking back to Crevan's workshop. His blacksmith doppelganger was sharpening Caliburn-who indignantly protested that he did not need it- and fixing Sonic's hand gauntlet.

"Well? Did you talk to him?" inquired Crevan, his sapphire eyes curious.

With a sigh, Tails shook his head. "No. I didn't want to bother him. He looked kind of distant, anyway."

"You didn't want to bring up his weakness, did you, fox?" barked Caliburn, glaring at the kitsune.

"It's not a weakness!" snapped Tails, jumping to the quick defense of his brother. "Sonic's never been beaten by water, _ever._"

"The knave is currently drowning in self-pity in the back room of the young blacksmith's house. I believe that makes it a weakness, as well as a fear. I will talk to him, and I will talk _sense_."

"Caliburn, wait!" yelped Tails, watching helplessly as the sword made his way into the back room. "Oh, no… This can't go anywhere but south."

"I didn't think they were walking anywhere," commented Crevan.

Tails sighed and smacked his forehead. "Nevermind. Let's just say this won't end well for either of them."

* * *

_Why does it always have to be water? Never fire, never earth, never air. None of the other elements seem to want me dead. Just water._ Sonic sighed and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts but failing miserably. If he simply was not so gosh darned curious, he would not have fallen into that hole in the first place, and this situation would not be a problem. The plain outside the window seemed to call his name, beckoning him to come and race away from all his troubles, letting the wind blow through his quills and the sun warm his fur. It would be pure bliss to allow himself to run from all the issues facing him at that moment.

"Wallowing in self pity is not getting you anywhere, knave."

Sonic barely muffled a low growl of annoyance as he turned to glare at Caliburn, who was glowering at him with an equally irritated expression. His emerald green eyes were alight as he jumped to his own defense. "I am _not _'wallowing in self pity,' dull blade! Last I checked, you can't die, so you don't have to worry about this kind of stuff!"

"Tell me you weren't asking why the world is against you."

"I… not the world," muttered Sonic.

"Water, then."

"Hey, how'd you kn-"

"The fox told us."

"Us? You mean Crevan, too?"

"Your impromptu storming out of the room required explanation. Personally, I don't think it was called for in the least. Your excuse to leave could have used more thought, too."

"I was under pressure!" barked Sonic. "The information that the dungeon was along the water was a little unexpected!"

"A knight never flees his foe, be it physical or elemental."

"Yeah, well, as you keep pointing out, I'm no knight."

"But it is my duty to make sure you become one!" snapped Caliburn.

"I never asked for that!" retorted Sonic. "I was shoved into this job, and you know it! I never wanted to do this, but I had to!"

"And that is where you are _wrong._"

Sonic could not think of a reply as quickly as he had. His eyes widened and he looked at Caliburn quizzically. "Whaddya mean?" he finally asked.

"You might not have wanted to, but you most definitely did not have to. You could have easily given up when King Arthur injured you the first time, or when Sir Lancelot kidnapped your brother. You could have just gone home."

The hedgehog looked away and sighed. "I can't, Caliburn. Home isn't even in this reality. In my world, this story is just that: a story. Nothing more. In fact, this story's pretty warped compared to the one I read. I have no clue how to get back. I figure as long as I'm here, I might as well help out."

"Exactly!" interrupted Caliburn. "You don't have to. You can submit to King Arthur's rule, just as countless of others have done. But you did _not_. You are fighting, and you will continue to fight, until I say you are a knight of valor."

Sonic smirked. "Fine, you win this time. But I'd still love to know how you plan on getting me through water, since I can't swim."

"We will cross that bridge when we get there, proverbially speaking."

"Nice one."

* * *

Tails leaned against the wooden door separating them from the bickering mentor and student. Crevan was in a similar position, trying desperately to catch some of the conversation. When the yelling stopped, Tails glanced at him. "Do you think they've killed each other?"

"I wasn't aware that swords could die."

"I wouldn't put it past them. Sonic can get pretty hot-headed when you insult his honor."

"And he's not a knight?"

Tails chuckled. "Nope, not yet, according to Caliburn."

The two kitsune jumped out of their fur as the door their ears were up against opened. Sonic glanced down at them and smirked. "Eavesdropping is not becoming of you, Tails."

Both foxes blushed furiously. "S-sorry, Sonic," chortled Tails, grinning hopefully. "Just thought I'd… uh…"

"See if we'd killed each other yet? Yeah, you never did whisper well," added Sonic, upon seeing Tails' blush deepen. "No, we haven't. Caliburn talked sense to me, and for some reason, got through my thick skull. We'll be leaving for the dungeon at midnight, so get some rest, alright?"

Tails nodded. "Whatever you say, Sonic! C'mon, Crevan, I still want to tell you about Arondight!"

Sonic watched the two foxes race into the back room, and he shook his head. Caliburn smiled. "They won't get a minute of sleep."

"I doubt it," laughed Sonic. "They've never seen another fox like them, though, so it's understandable."

"But foolish."

"I never denied that."

***

"Tails! Darn it, Tails, get _up!_" snapped Sonic, shoving the fox out of his bed. Tails hit the floor with a resounding thump, moaning and rubbing his head as he stood. The hard, wooden flooring was not his choice of wake-up calls, and he glared at Sonic despite the grogginess that made his vision swim.

"That was not called for," he hissed.

"I've been trying nicely for the last ten minutes! I nearly let Caliburn wake you up."

The sword snorted disdainfully. "And I would not have been so kind, fox."

"Kind, my foot," muttered Tails, grabbing Sonic's proffered hand and rising to his feet.

"It's not my fault you stayed up talking for hours."

"Shut up. Where's the dungeon?"

"I know what you know. Caliburn suggested following the water flow within Camelot, since it all collects in the center of the town to reach Lake Avalon," explained Sonic. "I haven't thought of anything better yet. You got anything?"

"I was just rudely shoved to the floor to wake up. I hardly know why we're going there, much less the best route to take."

Sonic laughed. "I figured as much, which is why I did some asking around. Apparently, the large tower behind the statue of King Arthur houses the entrance to the dungeon. The only way in is through the main castle itself."

"You don't plan on going in there, do you?!" exclaimed Tails, realization dawning.

"Of course not. I know another way to get in, but you'll understand when we get there. Now come on, and be quiet. Try and keep your tails' noise level to a minimum."

The cobalt hero bolted out the door of Crevan's workshop into the chill night air outside. Tails followed loyally, glancing back at Crevan before shutting the door and continuing on his way. The stars above Camelot twinkled innocently, unaware of the destruction about to occur below them. Little light managed to cast its way in between the dark alleys, which was the specific reason Sonic chose to run through them instead of the main waterway. The man-made creeks were easily heard in the silence of the night, and Sonic had never had any problems hearing. Despite the fact that the creeks were too far away to see in the darkness, Sonic successfully maneuvered alongside them as he made his way towards the tower he had been told about. He screeched to a sharp halt when he came to a ninety degree turn in the alleys, switching directions at an astounding speed and using Caliburn to whirl himself around.

Tails grinned proudly as Caliburn complimented him on the maneuver. "You've really gotten used to running with me," he commented, keeping his voice hushed. "I congratulate you."

"I didn't have much of a choice now, did I?" asked Sonic cheekily, speeding up. Despite the sarcastic tone of voice, Caliburn could tell Sonic was absolutely thrilled to have been complimented by his own weapon. It was something other squires and knights did not get the pleasure of experiencing. Suddenly, Sonic veered away from the noise of the creeks, something that did not go unnoticed by Tails.

"Where are we going?" the fox inquired, flying low so the hedgehog could hear him. "The creeks flow in the other direction!"

"Just trust me, okay, lil' bro?" The cobalt hedgehog sped up even faster, barely making the sharper turns and always choosing staircases. Although it was not blatantly obvious, Sonic was taking a roundabout route back to the tower, and simply trying to come to it from a high vantage point. He eventually came to a stop on one of the turrets on the outer edge of the castle, right in front of a harpoon-like weapon that launched spears with ropes attached. The tower could barely be seen in the distance, glowing softly by the half moon's light.

"Why on Mobius are we here?" inquired Tails.

"Not now. Help me turn this thing around," ordered Sonic, pushing against the weapon. Tails joined in while Caliburn watched, confused. When the weapon was sufficiently pointed in the desired direction, Sonic stopped. "There. Only one thing left to do."

Sonic snatched Caliburn and swung him hard against the cord that kept the taut spear in place. With a loud snap, the spear was sent hurtling towards the statue of King Arthur, burying itself deep in the statue. At first, that seemed to be all that was happening, when the force from the spear finally caught up with the stone. Cracks that would have woken the dead sounded from the base, and slowly the statue began to lean backwards, before losing all grip on the firm ground below and smashing into the tower behind it. The spear was still attached to the statue, and the rope was taut from the turret to the tower. Tails' jaw had dropped, and Sonic was smirking. Caliburn was the only one who seemed to retain the ability of speech: "Good heavens!"

From their current hiding place, they could easily hear the gathering of worried villagers who had heard the noise. Sonic leapt into action once he saw the demonic soldiers reach the scene. He backed up a few steps, before quickly accelerating and jumping onto the rope. Balanced precariously, Sonic slid quickly down the rope to the tower, much to Caliburn's protest. Tails simply laughed as the sword berated its bearer while sliding down the makeshift grind rail. Like usual, the hedgehog just shrugged it off. "Sorr-ee!"

While Sonic's outer composure suggested he was fine, his stomach was doing flip flops as he anticipated what would meet him in the tower. He was racing towards water that had an unknown depth, and there was no way he could turn back. This could easily be his last escapade, if he fell directly into water that was too deep for him to stand. In that case, he would drown, and the world would be doomed. Not to mention Caliburn would be stuck at the bottom of some river. _On second thought, that might not be too bad!_

"Sonic, watch out!" cried Tails. The hedgehog glanced over his shoulder to see some of the King's knights at the turret where he had been only a few seconds ago. It was obvious they planned on cutting the rope he was using to get to the tower. _Great. I'll die by falling hundreds of feet or drowning. _Sonic crouched low, trying to gain more speed and outrace the demons' swords. It was a useless attempt, and the rope quickly went limp and fell. Tails yelped, but Sonic just jumped towards the opening in the tower.

"It's too far!" yelled Tails, nearing hysterics. "You're not going to make it!"

Ignoring his younger brother's cries of desperation, Sonic stabbed Caliburn forward, hoping with all his might that the sword was long enough to reach the wall. Luckily, it was. Sonic wasted no time and flipped forward, jerking Caliburn out of the wall and stabbing him in again at a higher point. He continued in this manner, smiling as Tails cheered with joyous relief, until he reached the top of the statue. After running down the rest of the statue, he could hear the water running below it. It was too dark to see what was going on and how deep it was, but Sonic knew he could not hesitate. Taking a leap of faith, he prepared to be hit by a wave of water and prayed he would not drown.

There was no need, as the water he landed in was no more than seven inches deep. Tails met Sonic in the tunnel, carrying a torch he had borrowed from one of the villagers. "Hey, this isn't so bad!" he chirped, landing beside his brother. The light cast from the torch revealed just how the dungeons worked: along the shallow river were multiple cells containing many villagers, all of whom were terrified at the commotion down the tunnel. Three doors divided the dungeons into sections, before it emerged back into Camelot Castle.

Wasting no more time, Sonic broke into a run towards the door to the next section. "Tails! I want you to open the cells, alright? I'll break through these and clear the way out of the castle!" Not waiting for the fox's reply, Sonic braced Caliburn and attacked the wood portion of the door. It was firm, but the water running beneath it had weakened the door. It was not much, but it was just enough for Sonic's continued battering to begin to break through it. As he was attacking it, Sonic's ear flipped backwards at the sound of swords clanking. He knew good and well Tails did not have a sword, and the only ones who could would be the King's knights. He whirled around and attacked the demons trying to sneak up on him.

"Face your foe, cowards!" he yelled, catching them by surprise as Caliburn's excessively-sharpened edge sliced through their armor like butter. As they dissipated and he turned back to the door, he saw more demons appearing from smoke on the other side. Tails had released the prisoners in this section of the dungeon, and he would have to hurry to break the door down before the soldiers could attack him. Curling into a spin dash, Sonic smashed through the door, his momentum sending him through the half-formed demons. The knights shrieked as they melted back into their smoke, and Sonic wasted no time breaking the next door. Tails had taught the other villagers how to open the cells, and others were being released at a much quicker speed than the previous section of the dungeon.

The door went down without a hitch, and no knights awaited him at the other door. However, an obscure red crate was placed against it on the opposite side, with knights waiting anxiously past it. Sonic snorted and charged for the door. One crate was _not _going to keep him from getting out of here. "Be careful, fool!" Caliburn snapped as he scraped against it. Soon, Sonic realized why: the sparks from Caliburn had set the fuel-soaked box on fire, and the hedgehog was pretty sure it would explode.

"Get back!" he yelled, pushing all the released villagers to the previous section of the dungeon. The crate exploded, just as he expected, and took the door and the knights with it. He glanced at the open hallway, shocked, before dashing out. "Hurry up!" he called, motioning the villagers towards him. He raced up the steps to the castle's main hall, and destroyed all the knights guarding the door. The drawbridge, however, was far too big to break down. Sonic immediately found the solution, and sliced the cords that held the drawbridge up. With a large echoing slam, the door fell across the moat and into the town. The path it opened to led right to the eastern exit, which Sonic cleared quickly and swiftly.

After all the villagers were outside, he gave them quick instructions. "You'll be wanted criminals here, just like I am. Run to the Deep Woods and find villages there, or form new ones, I don't care, but _get away from here._"

"What about our families?" asked one tentatively.

Sonic groaned. Of course they would refuse to leave without them. "Alright, there's enough chaos in the dungeons, and you all kind of look the same, so keep to the shadows and the alleys, find your families, and _run_, darn you! Run or you'll be captured all over again!" The villagers nodded gratefully, some crying with joy, and others still in shock.

"We should leave, too, hedgehog. Otherwise we'll be captured. We don't blend in like the escapees," stated Caliburn.

"True. We can't go back to Crevan's, so where do you suggest we go?" inquired Tails.

"The same place you suggested the villagers run to: the Deep Woods. We've completed the Lady's quest, and just in time. If we reach her tomorrow, we will have barely met the deadline."

"But I didn't destroy all of King Arthur's knights!" protested Sonic.

"Not all of them. There's no possible way for you to do that. You did, however, defeat all the leaders of the army. King Arthur is now the only one to give orders."

"How do you know that?"

"Don't ask," growled Caliburn. "Now run, fool. I know you can."

"Wait, Windblade!"

Sonic jerked forward as he canceled his take off, nearly resulting in him completing a rather embarrassing faceplant. His recovery, however, made him appear quite composed. "What did you call me?" he asked, regaining balance and looking at the villager who had spoken.

"Windblade. A name we give knights who are skilled with a blade," replied the villager.

"Oh. I'm not a knight yet. But what do you need?"

"I wanted to give you this, as thanks." The villager shyly handed the hedgehog an amulet. The chain was gold, and the medallion held a sparkling blue sapphire. It was no doubt beautiful, but Sonic was not entirely sure why he would be given a piece of jewelry. Luckily, the villager gave an explanation before he had to ask: "It's a healing gem. It has been blessed with the power of all the Sacred Swords, and can heal you of any wound, but it only works once."

"Thanks," murmured Sonic, placing it around his neck. "Now hurry up and get out of here. I don't want to have to rescue ya again." He gave the villager a quick wink before taking off down the path to the Deep Woods. When they had made it to the edge of the dark forest, dawn was fast approaching. Sonic refused to see Nimue without sleeping first, and so he stopped at the nearest clearing that was protected by shrubbery. He yawned, placed Caliburn against a tree to stand guard, and curled up into a sharp ball, snoring softly as he fell into a light slumber. Tails was too awake to go to sleep, and sat watch with Caliburn.

"Do you realize your brother admitted he was not a knight?"

"Yeah…" murmured Tails. "You didn't even say anything."

"Do you know why?"

"Why? I don't know. I might be Sonic's adopted brother, but I sure 'nuff don't know everything about him."

"Hm… that's only to be expected, I suppose. Nonetheless, it marks a lot of progress. Humility is a very important virtue for a knight."

"So he's almost reached knighthood?"

"Almost. We'll see what happens this afternoon when we meet with the Lady of the Lake."

Over on his side of the clearing, Sonic smiled to himself. So he was making progress, after all.


	9. A Knight's Law

"I cannot believe you slept for that long!" snapped Caliburn, glaring at his bearer with distaste. "We will be lucky to reach the Lady by nightfall! We have a deadline, remember?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, running along the forest path with a velocity that normally set Caliburn on edge. "I know, dull-blade. I'm not worried about it. I can get there in time."

"It will be very close. You are taking dangerous risks here, knave."

"So you keep telling me. But those quests were easy, and this run is nothing! I do this every day!"

"Do not let it go to your head, fool."

"Hey! Watch out!" yelped Tails, who had been flying along silently for the majority of the trip. Sonic jerked to a screeching halt, sending grass and dirt flying as he tried to brake before he hit whatever Tails was yelling about. When he regained balance, he saw what had caused the kitsune to jump: a village child sat crying on the side of the path. Her eyes were teary and puffy as she wept, wailing miserably.

The noise grated against Sonic's ears, and he laid them back before approaching the child. "What's the matter, kid? You lost or something?" he inquired, walking slowly so as not to scare her. Tails rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't be a little more compassionate, could you?"

Sonic snorted. "I'd like to see you try. She's a wreck!"

Ignoring his brother, Tails walked up to the child and laid a hand on her back. "Hey. I'm Tails. What's your name?"

"Um… uh… Rose," sniffled the girl.

"Hi, Rose. Why are you crying? Is something wrong?"

"A… a great big dragon attacked my village…" she whimpered, wincing as if she remembered it all too well.

At the mention of a dragon, Sonic jumped. "A dragon?!"

Rose continued, ignoring Sonic completely and focusing on Tails. "It took my Mommy… and my Daddy… and everybody away!" With that, she began weeping all over again, causing even Tails to lay his ears back and Caliburn to wince.

Sonic glanced at Caliburn, who was obviously wanting to walk on and reach the Lady of the Lake, then Tails, who was trying to comfort Rose but failing miserably. Suddenly, he grinned, walked over to the child, and crouched down beside her with Tails.

"You know where the dragon is?"

He followed her finger to the mountain in the distance. "It… it's in the big cave, in the bottom of that mountain," she murmured, sniffling still. Sonic nodded, as if affirming something, and then stood.

"Alright. I'm on it."

Tails leapt up with joy. "Yeah!"

"What?!" exclaimed Caliburn, not nearly as impressed with Sonic's decision. "Don't tell me you're going off to slay a dragon now!"

"Yes. _We_ are. That includes you."

"What of the Lady's tests?! We'll never make it in time!" stuttered Caliburn, trying desperately to change Sonic's mind.

The hedgehog's expression changed slightly, but his smug grin quickly returned. "Yeah, maybe, but… I play by my own rules. Remember that." He snatched up Caliburn and prepared to run. "Hang in there, kiddo. I'll get your folks back." After giving Rose his signature thumbs-up, he burst into the forest the way he had come, this time heading towards the mountain in the distance.

"You _fool_," spat Caliburn.

All he received for his criticism was a chuckle from Sonic and Tails. Outnumbered in his decision, he chose to at least help the hedgehog survive this draconic encounter. If nothing else, maybe the Lady would understand why they were late, if they came back with the dragon's head. That was, of course, assuming Sonic would agree to kill it. Caliburn had the sinking feeling that he would not.

Sonic's speed was increasing steadily, and Tails was doing a relatively decent job of keeping up. The foliage rushed by them at a sickening pace, brushing against them until they burst into the meadow Sonic had gazed so longingly at before.

Titanic Plain was everything Sonic had imagined it would be. With hardly any obstacles, he could truly run here. The path wove through the grassy fields with their white flowers before twisting through some old ruins and ending at the mountain. He could definitely run as fast as he wanted in this environment.

However, just as he began to truly pick up speed, a single, ax-bearing knight appeared in front of him. It was twice the height of a normal demon, and far stronger. Sonic did not hesitate, but leapt to attack its head and bring it down in one fell swoop. Just as he did this, though, he felt the hand of the knight wrap tightly around his midsection, capturing him in a vice-like grip that showed no signs of lessening.

"Sonic!" screamed Tails, rushing to his brother's aid. With no true weapon, the fox resorted to snatching up large rocks and throwing them from above. It was not much of a distraction, but it was enough for Sonic to wriggle free and drop to the ground.

Not wasting any time, he swung Caliburn fiercely at the knight's midsection, then again, until he cut through the armor and sliced through the demon's flesh. It sunk into the black abyss it had come from, screaming as it did so.

Panting, Sonic rose from the crouch he had landed in. Tails was in shock, and Caliburn seemed disapproving. Like always.

"If another one comes, press the attack fast and furious, and whatever you do, don't jump."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," barked Sonic. He raced forward again, this time far more cautious than he had been.

It paid off, as soon after the first dark knight appeared; lance-bearing demons emerged from a black-blue mist. They came in rows of three, stampeding almost like the hogs had in his training. Preparing for this just as he did the hogs, Sonic brought up Caliburn's blunt edge and blocked the first round, before leaping over the next three and slicing through the wave behind them.

"Yeah, Sonic!" cheered Tails, flying ahead. "There's only a few more!"

Happier now that he was on a victory march, Sonic burst forward, continuing in the same fashion until all the lance-bearing knights were either past him or dead. Still moving forward, he jerked hard to the left, where large spears and maces lay embedded in the ground.

"What the heck is that?" inquired Tails.

Caliburn was the one who responded: "I believe that is the dragon's defenses. His cave must be nearby."

"Looks like it," confirmed Sonic, leaping onto the wooden end of a spear to launch himself forward. He cried out with delight as he flew over the empty space to the next group of spears, bouncing from end to end and jumping at approximately the same height that Tails normally flew at. When he landed, he shot forward with more speed than before, but not as much as he had at the very beginning. The hill he was on angled softly downwards, and the path was lined with old pillars.

"Isn't this a nice view," commented Caliburn.

Sonic sniggered, his speed wobbling the ruins' foundations until the pillars fell into his way. Using a spear end again, he leapt over the remaining pillars so as not to knock them all over. "Yeah, really!"

After running through a small tunnel and emerging on the other side, Sonic was dismayed to find two more of the giant knights. He had, however, learned his lesson. This time, he called forth the little power remaining in the Chaos Emeralds, and focused on using it to slow down time and attack them without harm to himself. He also used this ability on the three smaller knight-demons behind the Goliaths.

Another slope came up as he continued his quick-paced journey, but it was far steeper than the one before. Sonic knew he was moving too fast to run down it safely—especially since he could not see if there were any stones in the way that he could trip on. Focusing on instinct and quick reflexes, he stabbed Caliburn into the side of the hill and slid safely down the slope, avoiding all obstacles and surprising both the sword and his kitsune brother.

"Great, Sonic!" chirped Tails.

The hedgehog laughed and glanced up at the fox. "You seem a lot more cheery all of a sudden. What is up with you, anyway?"

"Dunno," stated Tails, shrugging. "Guess you're just getting better with Caliburn is all."

"I beg to differ," snorted Caliburn.

The brothers only laughed. They continued their run, not entirely sure where to go next, seeing as the path had disappeared amongst the grass.

Sonic's next turn took him to a dead end with two knights and a Goliath. He succeeded in taking them down, then swung Caliburn into the wall before flipping up, jerking the sword out and stabbing it in again. It was in this manner that he made his way up. Suddenly, a spider-like demon appeared on the wall, hissing and spitting as it prepared to attack.

"Of all the freakin' places!" snapped Sonic.

"This is an unfavorable position. Do not fall into its trap!"

With a nod, Sonic jerked Caliburn out of the wall, and as he swung to stab him back in, managed to kill the spider-demon in the process. It took only one more flip to land on top of the wall. More large, spiked maces lay in the pathway to the tunnel that would take them through to the ruins, and Sonic leapt over them easily. At one point, he cut it close, but Tails grabbed him and offered him that final push that allowed him to clear the spikes.

He raced through the tunnel, surprising the few villagers who were meeting there. Sonic smiled apologetically, but continued on his way. He was already pushing both the meeting with the Lady as well as catching the dragon. When he emerged, more lance-bearing demons attacked, before another behemoth knight appeared. "They really just don't stop, do they?" he muttered.

"Doesn't look like it," sighed Tails, throwing rocks half-heartedly at the large demon's head while Sonic caught up to it.

When he ran forward again, he used the wind and his own momentum to shoot through the holes in the ruins ahead. Pillars stood lined up in his way, but he used a spin-dash to squeeze through the small openings. Tails smiled as he flew above all the obstacles, glad that he did not have to deal with such difficult terrain.

More ruins appeared, and Sonic traversed them easily. A few villagers stood on the sidelines, watching as he sliced through more lance-bearing and sword-bearing knights on his way to the mountain. As he ran up the steps leading to the largest and most revered ruin, Tails called out: "Sonic! I think someone's up there!"

"Don't worry," Sonic assured him. "I bet it's just another villager."

Tails looked unconvinced. "I don't think so, Sonic. He's wearing armor… and he's not human."

Now even Sonic was unsettled. However, he continued until he came to the large ruin, which was set up exactly like the Stonehenge in his world. He came to a halt, and Tails landed beside him. The sun in his eyes prevented him from really seeing the identity of the knight in front of him, but two things were certain: he was not a demon, and he was not human. Sonic smirked.

"I don't suppose you're gonna let us by?"

The knight was silent, but stepped forward so as Sonic could see him. When he did, Sonic was somewhat surprised to see an echidna. Not just any echidna, either. This one was crimson-furred just like the Guardian of Angel Island. _I guess since Shads was here, Knux can be too._

He wore a dark maroon helmet and chest plate, as well as shin guards. His shoes were essentially metal versions of the ones his Guardian doppelganger wore, and his gauntlets imitated the same spiked gloves. The only severe difference was the fact that he bore two identical swords, gold with silvery-iron edges.

Sonic could not help but laugh. "Ha! You look just like this knucklehead I know!"

This drew a reaction from the knight. He grabbed both swords with his hands, holding one steady and pointing the other directly at Sonic. "You dare mock Sir Gawain, Knight of the Round Table? An act most unwise, my friend." He crouched and held one sword in front of him defensively, preparing the other to attack.

"Wait, wait! I'm not trying to pick a fight with you!" yelped Sonic. "That's the last thing I want to do. Fighting Shadow is one thing, but back on Mobius, we're actually on speaking terms! I was heading to a cave to save some people from a dragon!"

"Bah!" spat Gawain. "You cannot fool me with your lies! No doubt you're after the dragon's treasure!"

Sonic threw his arms up in defeat, turning around and groaning. "Tails! Does this guy not sound just like Knucklehead?"

The fox sniggered, nodding a little.

At this, Gawain burst into action, crossing the twin blades across his chest and slicing them outwards menacingly. "You have defied King Arthur! This place shall be your grave!" he yelled. "Say your prayers, you thieving rat!"

"I'm not a rat!" barked Sonic, leaping away from the knight's attack. Once safely away from the twin swords' reach, Sonic felt as if he could charge again. However, the minute he slashed Caliburn down to hit the echidna, the sword was locked between the crossed blades of the knight. With a jerk, Sonic found himself weaponless against the knight.

Leaping backwards, he barely missed being hit by the first blade, but was nicked across the muzzle by the second. The shock of being hit and the power behind the blow knocked him to his back. However, his fall allowed him to grab Caliburn again, which he used to block Gawain's next blow and back off.

He wiped the blood from his muzzle and glared at the echidna, fuming. The crimson knight grinned smugly. "You're not half bad," he admitted. "But don't fool yourself into believing you can defeat me!"

Sonic was about to reply, but Caliburn interrupted. "Well, did you hear that?! When are you going to ramp up your attacks?"

The hedgehog snorted. "Now." He lunged forward again, swinging Caliburn before Gawain could lock his twin blades around his again. Caliburn cut across Gawain's chest armor, which only knocked the breath out of him.

"Hah! Strike me if you dare! I, Sir Gawain, will show you how a real Knight fights!" he spat.

"Oh yeah? Well let's just see you try!"

"Quit fooling around!" barked Caliburn. "Find a hole in his defense!"

Sonic sped forward, almost breaking the sound barrier in his dash, before slicing across Gawain's helmet. While it did knock the echidna off-balance, one of his swords slashed across Sonic's left leg, causing him to bleed severely.

"Wow. You can dish it out, and you can take it, too!" he chuckled, lighthearted despite his wound.

Thinking the battle was won, Gawain approached slowly, preparing to kill the hedgehog, as per his orders. However, Sonic was not about to die now. Especially not since he could hear Tails crying desperately in the background.

With one well-aimed swing of Caliburn, Sonic knocked Gawain off his feet, then used the pommel to slam Gawain's head and render him unsteady; unable to rise and fight. Sonic rose to his feet cautiously, limping as blood trickled through his fur. He watched Gawain with suspicion, as if the knight would rise and attack at any minute. His breath came in ragged gasps. Tails came up behind Sonic, eying Gawain warily.

One of the knight's swords lay on the ground beside him, the other point-first a good distance away. Sonic knew that at least if he attacked again, he would only have one weapon.

The echidna moved, but not to grab his sword. He slammed his fist into the ground, screaming in fury at his defeat. "To lose… to a mere apprentice! I have been disgraced!" He reached for his sword, blood trickling down his head from under his helmet, revealing how severe Sonic's blow had been. "Only… only death can remove this stain upon my honor…"

Suddenly, Sonic realized just what Gawain was planning to do. With a quick snatch, he grabbed the blade the knight was holding. "Gimme a break! What's up with all this drama?!"

"Silence! Silence, I say!" yelled Gawain. "A knight who fails their king is unfit to live!" He glared at Sonic, as if daring him to say differently, and obviously debating reaching for his other sword.

Sonic turned away, picking up the sword's mate and handing them both to Tails. "Isn't there more to being a knight than just serving a king?" he murmured, directing the question towards Gawain.

The knight looked at him quizzically, as if he had never thought about it before.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm outta here. People to save, ya know?" He began limping away, Tails supporting him as they made their way to a stone to sit and bandage up his leg so they could continue. Tails luckily had kept some of the bandages from Merlina's earlier assistance, and cleaned and wrapped up the wound easily.

As they prepared to leave, Gawain rose and called after them: "It's name is Galatine. Take good care of it!"

Tails turned and smiled, waving. "We will!"

"The dragon's cave is close by. Good luck!"

With a final glance at Knuckles' doppelganger, Sonic ran forward.

It hurt, and he was significantly slower than before, but he knew the wound would heal in time, if not before he met the Lady of the Lake. If she accepted his excuse, of course. That was also assuming he could still rescue the townspeople with his leg in its current condition.

He paused just outside Crystal Cave, eying it warily. "Tails?"

The fox cowered a little, obviously reluctant to enter a dragon's lair. "I-I'm ready, Sonic."

"That's not what I'm going to say. I want you to stay out here."

"What?!" exclaimed Tails.

"If there really is a dragon out there, I don't want you getting hurt. You've already been captured once and cornered twice. I can't risk your life in there!"

"But you're going!"

"I made a promise, and I'll keep it. Besides, you need to watch Galatine, right? I'm pretty sure Gawain wouldn't appreciate it if we left it out here, or even brought it into a dragon's den. I'll be back in a little while."

"But, Sonic!"

"No buts. See ya later, buddy." With that, Sonic bolted into the cavern, leaving the kitsune outside alone.


End file.
